February 26, 2025

Strengthening Health Systems in the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal District, Ghana.

Dr. Justice Thomas Sevugu (IPPHL Cohort 7) is our spotlight for December 2024. He is the Municipal Director for Health at the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal District in Ghana. Exemplars in Global Health in an interview with the IPPHL alumnus, talked about strengthening health systems as a leader and how his experience as an IPPHL alumnus has shaped his role as a Health Director.

 

Could you tell us about your personal journey? How did you become interested in primary health care and health systems strengthening?

Dr. Sevugu: My journey in public health started with a deep-rooted commitment to community health, which I built upon through my studies and experiences. After earning a diploma in community health at the basic level, I began realizing that health care delivery happens primarily at the community level, where households – the primary producers of health – are located. To make a real impact on the health of a population, you have to focus on communities, where families reside.

My interest grew as I pursued a PhD in public health, which showed me the profound impact of accessible primary health care on underserved communities. When you look at Ghana’s primary health care system, organized at national, regional, and district levels, you see that policy and guidelines are set nationally, while the region focuses on coordination and monitoring. But the district level is where primary health care operates and policies translate into action – where planning and implementation create a resilient system that serves the population’s needs.

Over the years, as I took on more responsibilities, including serving as a municipal director, I recognized that a strong health care system is crucial to achieving equitable health outcomes. This understanding led me to focus on strengthening health systems. For primary health care to deliver valuable outcomes, the system must be strong.

It’s a dual challenge: we aim to provide access to every population, especially the vulnerable, but we need a robust vehicle to achieve this access. This realization drove me to advocate for system strengthening. Human resources, leadership, and equipment may all change, but the health system remains; it must be resilient to continually serve our population’s needs.

This realization led me to focus more on strengthening health systems, because the output of a system is as good as its strength and what it can do. So, it’s a double-pronged situation where you want to ensure health access for every population, particularly the vulnerable, but in your effort to seek that access, the vehicle must be strong enough to deliver that. Because human beings can change. Leaders can change, health workers can change, even equipment can wear out and be replaced, but the system remains the system and it always needs to be strengthened to ensure you get the best for your people.

Could you tell us about your work as municipal health director for the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal District? What are your current priorities within the primary health system? What unique problems are you addressing in your district compared to the rest of the country?

Dr. Sevugu: As the municipal director in a district that includes urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, my role involves ensuring high-quality health service delivery, managing teams to achieve this, and setting health priorities to meet the diverse needs of these different populations. I’ve focused on improving maternal and child health services, increasing immunization coverage, and enhancing the accessibility of health services, particularly for mobile populations.

In rural areas, people often move frequently for work, while in urban areas, busy career women may be closer to children than their male counterparts but can be out of reach of health care services. We’ve designed programs that track and follow up with these mobile populations to ensure they receive necessary services. For example, we target career women’s children by implementing school health programs in early childhood centers. We deliver services directly to these children in schools, crèches, and nurseries, rather than waiting for them to come to health centers. This unique approach contrasts with other regions, where we must actively reach people wherever they are to ensure access.

Addressing these unique challenges requires targeted outreach, community partnerships, and engaging the health seekers themselves in planning how to meet their health care needs. This responsibility lies with the municipal team.

Read more here!