North Tongu District Health Directorate-GHS-V/R

01/09/2026

🎊Commissioning of Two Ultra-Modern Mother and Child Health Units in North Tongu.

The weekend of 28th and 29th August 2026 marked a significant milestone in the provision of quality maternal and child healthcare in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region, with the commissioning of two new, ultra-modern and fully equipped 15-bed Mother and Child Health Units at the Volo and Fodzoku Health Centres.

The projects were implemented in partnership with Engage Now Africa, with full funding from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Volo facility was commissioned on 28th August 2026, followed by the Fodzoku facility on 29th August 2026.

The difficult terrain of the Volo and Fodzoku Traditional Areas, coupled with inadequate and poorly equipped health infrastructure, has long presented challenges to the delivery of essential healthcare services. Recognising these challenges, the District Health Directorate under the leadership of Mr Michael S.K. Zigah made it a priority to engage development partners and philanthropists to help transform the situation and ensure that maternal and child health services are accessible, available and delivered without unnecessary barriers.

The two fully equipped facilities are expected to significantly improve access to quality maternal and child healthcare for more than 19,000 people within their respective catchment communities. Beyond providing much-needed infrastructure, the facilities will support timely referrals, improve service delivery and provide a safe, dignified and conducive environment for both healthcare workers and community members.

Speaking at both commissioning ceremonies, Engage Now Africa Country Director, Ms. Cecilia Amankwah, emphasised that having a safe and appropriate place for a woman to give birth is not a luxury, but a basic requirement for safe and dignified maternal healthcare.

Mrs. Marian Esiape, Welfare/Self-Reliance Manager, Africa West Area, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also highlighted the importance of partnerships in improving the wellbeing of families and communities, noting that meaningful collaboration can bring lasting change to underserved communities.

The ceremonies were attended by the District Director of Health Services, Mr. Michael S. K. Zigah, and the Volta Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Emmanuel Atsu Dodor. They underscored the importance of such partnerships and investments in improving the working environment and efficiency of healthcare staff, while strengthening access to antenatal, delivery, postnatal and other essential maternal and child health services.

Behind these impressive and fully equipped facilities is, ultimately, an even greater opportunity: the opportunity to save lives, improve health outcomes and provide care with dignity.

The North Tongu District Health Directorate expresses its profound gratitude to Engage Now Africa and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for this impactful partnership and their unwavering commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our people.

This marks the third project funded and commissioned within one year through this partnership, demonstrating a strong and sustained commitment to supporting healthcare delivery in the district.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to the Member of Parliament, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu District Assembly, our traditional and community leaders, District Health Management Team, and, importantly, our gallant health staff, whose dedication and commitment continue to make quality healthcare possible for the people we serve.

Together, we are not just building health facilities; we are building healthier communities and creating a future where every mother and child can access quality care in safety and dignity.

Engage Now Africa Osu
Ghana Health Service-Volta
Ghana Health Service
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Michael Zigah Sedofia

25/08/2026

12–13 August 2026
NORTH TONGU DISTRICT HEALTH DIRECTORATE HOLDS MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE REVIEW•

The North Tongu District Health Directorate held its 2026 Mid-Year Performance Review Meeting from 12–13 August 2026 to assess progress on key health indicators, identify performance gaps and agree on priority actions for the second half of the year.

The review was conducted under the District's sustainability approach to Primary Health Care Performance Improvement (PHC-PI), which focuses on leadership, data-driven decision-making, root-cause analysis, action planning, community participation, resource mobilisation and continuous quality improvement.

The five sub-districts, comprising 32 health facilities, implemented interventions tailored to their specific performance gaps. These included home visits to trace defaulters, community sensitisation, radio education, family planning and ANC outreaches, school vaccination sessions, community health committee engagements, supportive supervision and regular data review.

The implementation of the interventions was supported by the use of digital data collection tools, including KoboToolbox, to facilitate timely and accurate capture of transactional and real-time data.

The use of data helped teams to monitor performance, identify gaps early and make informed decisions. It also strengthened accountability, responsiveness, commitment and continuous motivation among health teams at the facility, sub-district and district levels.

By June 2026, the District recorded improvements in several key indicators, including 50.8% supervised deliveries, 90.5% coverage for four or more ANC visits, 55.6% first-trimester ANC registration, and progress in reducing anaemia among pregnant women at 36 weeks' gestation.

The review also identified areas requiring renewed attention, particularly family planning acceptor rates, Vitamin A coverage, second-year-of-life vaccination coverage and the concurrent administration of second-year-of-life antigens. Increases in stillbirths, neonatal mortality and institutional maternal mortality at Catholic Hospital Battor were also noted, with late referrals and delayed care-seeking identified among the contributing factors.

District Director of Health Services, Mr. Michael S. K. Zigah, emphasised the need to institutionalise PHC-PI practices within routine service delivery and align the gains with the Government's Free Primary Health Care initiative and the broader goal of Universal Health Coverage.

The meeting concluded with sub-district teams reviewing their workplans, setting new targets and developing Desired Measurable Results (DMRs) for areas requiring improvement. The District remains committed to implementing these actions to sustain progress and improve health outcomes across North Tongu.

We are deeply grateful to our partners for their continued support and unwavering commitment to our efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of North Tongu.

Ghana Health Service
Ghana Health Service-Volta
Management Sciences for Health
Ubora Institute
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

31/07/2026

Over the past three years, the Primary Health Care Performance Management (PHC-PM) Project has been implemented in the North Tongu District to strengthen district-level decision-making through the effective use of data and local leadership with support from Gates Foundation, Management Sciences for Health and UBORA Inst-Ghana.

Throughout the implementation period, the North Tongu team actively participated in a series of stakeholder engagements, national and international forums to share achievements, reflect on lessons learned, and discuss strategies for institutionalising and scaling the project’s successes to strengthen primary health care across Ghana.

A major highlight was the team’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) Conference on Data-Driven Primary Health Care Performance Management and Improvement, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from April to May 2026. This was followed by a National Dissemination Meeting and Panel Discussion held in Accra on 29th–30th July 2026, in collaboration with UBORA Institute-Ghana, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), academia, and other development partners.

The project’s success stemmed from its deliberate focus on placing district leadership at the centre of decision-making while equipping health teams with the data, tools, skills, and supportive structures needed to drive continuous and sustainable improvements in primary health care performance.

Today, North Tongu District has not only sustained the gains achieved under the project but has also institutionalised the PHC-PM approach by integrating its principles into district planning, routine management processes, and the implementation of health service delivery.
Ghana Health Service
Management Sciences for Health
Ubora Institute
Ghana Health Service-Volta
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Health Organization Ghana

18/07/2026

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10/04/2026

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21/03/2026

On 18th March 2026, 🎉🎊🍾

The North Tongu District was awarded as the 3rd Best Performing District in the Volta Region during the 2025 Health Sector Annual Performance Review. This achievement, placing us among the top three districts, clearly reflects the impact of the innovative strategies and change ideas implemented by our dedicated workforce and leadership, resulting in significant improvements in healthcare delivery across the district.

We extend our sincere appreciation to all staff at every level of care (District, Sub-district, and Community) as well as our valued partners (NT-District Assembly, MSH, UBORA Institute, MP-North Tongu District and ENA) for your unwavering commitment and invaluable contributions to this success.

Let us sustain these gains and strive for even greater achievements in 2026.

Congratulations to Us
🫶🙏🤝💪💫🎉
Management Sciences for Health
Ubora Institute
Engage Now Africa - Ghana
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Gates Foundation
Ghana Health Service-Volta
Hectoria Awekeya-Wuobar
Dr. Kwesi Djokoto

24/02/2026

NORTH TONGU DHD HOLDS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND DISSEMINATION SESSION / STAFF DURBAR.

On 19th and 20th February 2025, the North Tongu District Health Management Team led by Mr. Michael S.K Zigah (District Director of Health Services) successfully organized its 2025 Annual Performance Review/Dissemination Meeting and Staff Durbar.

The two events provided an important platform to reflect on key health interventions undertaken in 2025, assess our performance, and chart strategic priorities for 2026. It was also a moment to formally recognize and honour outstanding health staff, community members, and partners whose dedication significantly advanced healthcare delivery across the district.

🔎 Theme:
“Resetting Health Delivery for Effective Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Financing to Universal Health Coverage.”

This theme strongly aligns with our district strategies aimed at improving Primary Health Care outcomes through use of data for decision making, prompt feedback and scorecards, strengthened collaboration with community leadership, community members, and partners.

📊 Key Achievements in 2025 (Desired Measurable Results):
• Increased Antenatal Care coverage by 7%, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
• Increased skilled delivery attendance by 5% through strengthened safe motherhood services.
• Reduced anaemia among pregnant women by 8% through improved nutrition education and laboratory services.
• Increased 2YL vaccination coverage among children under five.
• Increased Family Planning acceptor rate by 6%, with emphasis on adolescent health services.
• Improved community partnerships and support.
• Enhanced client satisfaction through surveys and responsive feedback systems.
• Improved infrastructure across facilities.

⚠️ Areas of Concern:
Institutional maternal mortality, stillbirths, and institutional neonatal mortality recorded low performance, largely due to late referrals from adjoining districts and regions.

🎯 Strategic Focus for 2026:
• Improve infrastructure through rigorous stakeholder engagement and resource mobilization.
• Strengthen client satisfaction measures.
• Improve equipment and commodity supply.
• Intensify advocacy for NHIS enrollment.
• Strengthen Community Health Management Committees (CHMCs).

👏 Outstanding and deserving staff were recognized and awarded citations for excellence in service delivery and dedication beyond their core duties.

💚 The second day, the Staff Durbar and Socialization brought together staff from all 31 health facilities for prayer sessions, shared reflections, fun moments, and fellowship, allowing us to reconnect, rejuvenate, and prepare for 2026.

🙏 We are deeply grateful to our valued partners:
Management Sciences for Health
Ubora Institute
Engage Now Africa - Ghana
Ghana Health Service-Volta
Ghana Health Service
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
• Our Chiefs and Communities

together for Primary Health Care-North Tongu 💚💪

19/02/2026

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18/02/2026

North Tongu District Holds Annual Sub-District Performance Review (9th–13th February 2026)

The North Tongu District, under the leadership of Mr. Michael S.K. Zigah, together with the Technical Unit Heads, Health Facility Heads, and frontline staff, successfully organized its Annual Sub-District Level Performance Review across all sub-districts from 9th–13th February 2026.

The review served as an important platform to:
1. Disseminate gains made in health service delivery during 2025.
2. Engage stakeholders on prevailing health challenges and explore realistic strategies to mobilize resources to address issues related to access, infrastructure, client satisfaction, and quality of care.

The dissemination sessions were conducted in all six traditional areas within the district: Mape, Battor, Dorfor, Volo, Fodzoku, and Torgorme.

Key Health Service Delivery Gains in 2025
• Improved coverage of 2nd Year of Life (2YL) vaccines among children under five.
• Reduction in anaemia among pregnant women.
• Improved access to and coverage of safe motherhood services.
• Strengthened stakeholder and community support for health service delivery.

Priority Areas for 2026

The review identified the following priority focus areas for the coming year:
1. Mobilizing community support to improve health infrastructure.
2. Strengthening Community Health Management Committees (CHMCs) for effective planning.
3. Improving client satisfaction and service utilization.
4. Ensuring consistent commodity supply.
5. Increasing enrollment onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The strong level of stakeholder collaboration in North Tongu District continues to serve as a critical system-strengthening factor in advancing Primary Health Care outcomes.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our valued partners:
Management Sciences for Health
Ubora Institute
Engage Now Africa - Ghana
North Tongu District Assembly
Our revered Chiefs and dedicated Community Members.

Together, we remain committed to strengthening Primary Health Care and improving health outcomes across North Tongu District.

26/12/2025