The University Hospital has been assessed by a team of reviewers from other health facilities in the Central Region. This is the second time the University Hospital is taking part in the exercise which started three years ago. The hospital’s debut performance was described as encouraging. The peer review of healthcare facilities is done to improve on the performance of healthcare delivery at a particular facility. The exercise is undertaken by representatives from other facilities within a particular zone to assess the operations of a hospital whether they meet the expected benchmarks. The six hospitals represented during the review process were Saltpond Municipal hospital, Abura Dunkwa District HOSPITAL, Ankaful Leprosarium General Hospital, Ajumako District Hospital and the host, UCC hospital. Areas assessed by the reviewers included the environment, governance, infection prevention and control (IPC), emergency services, quality assurance, clinical practices, client care and occupational health and safety. Addressing participants, the Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Services of the Central Regional Health Directorate, Mr. Peter Kyeremateng described the performance of UCC hospital during the first peer-review exercise as encouraging, adding that he hoped new things would be discovered and learnt by the assessors, Mr. Kyeremateng indicated that significant stakeholders have been included in the 2017 review so that together with the reviewers the needed changes could be effected to bring efficiency. “We have included our stakeholders this time around so that we can all decide on what needs to be changed or maintained”, he explained. The Deputy Director urged the reviewers to strictly follow the checklist provided so that recommendations made by the assessors would be the true reflection of what was on the ground since the exercise was not an event but a process. “I urge you to tell people what you see; their performance should at least be the minimum of the standard set and not below. So do not be emotional since it is not about position, which is the hallmark of these yearly peer reviews”, he admonished. The Dean, School of Medical Sciences, Prof. Francis Ofei chaired the function.
