AHSAG :: Ghana Health Administrators | Health Administrators Association
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About HASS

ABOUT HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION AT THE GHANA HEALTH SERVICE HEADQUARTERS

Introduction
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) as an agency of Ministry of Health (MOH) is charged to implement approved health sector polices in such a manner as to ensure access to priority health interventions and to prudently manage resources available for provision of health services. Within the framework of GHS, the Health Administration and Support Service (HASS) Directorate is mandated to ensure:

• The coordination of information, the provision of support and guidance for the design of policies and strategies in collaboration with other Directorates for the prudent development of health provision infrastructure consistent with service delivery priorities
• The initiation, award and monitoring of the effective implementation of contracts for transport, equipment, general services and infrastructure provision
• The provision of general administrative and support services for the effective and efficient delivery of functions of the GHS
• The provision, management, maintenance and upgrade of all transport, facilities and equipment of the GHS - other than routine maintenance of buildings - through national master plan maintenance programmes.
There are four (4) main departments under the Health Administration and Support Services (HASS Division of the Ghana Health Service. These departments are General Administration, Transport, Estate and Clinical Engineering.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT (GAD)
The General Administration Department (GAD) is established to handle the general administrative activities to support the main functions of GHS. The Department plays a central administrative support role to ensure that common administrative services are provided in a uniform manner. It ensures efficient provision and management of administrative services that are capable of contributing to the larger GHS goal of strengthening governance and improving efficiency and effectiveness of the health system.

Mandate and Vision of GAD
Mandate
The mandate of GAD is to coordinate and ensure provision and management of general administrative services in an efficient, effective and fiscally prudent manner to support the main functions of GHS.

GAD Vision
A well-organized Department committed to promoting managerial and administrativ excellence in GHS by responding to changing administrative, policy and fiscal environments.

GAD aims to achieve this vision by:
• Providing high quality administrative and managerial expertise
• Being collaborative, consultative and supportive
• Fostering and sustaining relationships
• Benchmarking its services to foster continuous improvement
• Aligning its operations to the GHS’ core business
• Facilitating attitudinal change;
• Utilizing transparent systems and
• Identifying and responding positively to new challenges

Structure and Functions of GAD
To deliver on its mandate, the GAD is structured into four key units, which are:
1. Health Administration and management Unit
2. GHS Headquarters Facility Maintenance and Operations Unit
3. Security Management Unit
4. Records Management Unit.
The Department is headed by a Deputy Director and each of the Unit Heads reports directly to the Deputy Director (GAD) through to the Director HASS. The primary responsibilities of the Department include:
• Provision of management and administrative support to all Directorates at the Headquarters level
• Assisting the office of Director HASS to ensure effective planning, implementation and monitoring of operational activities within HASS Directorate
• Handling in-coming and out-going official correspondence that will be referred to the Director HASS by the Director-General
• Collating and consolidating HASS Directorate budget for effective and efficient general services
• Establishing and regularly reviewing administrative procedures as and when necessary
• Providing technical advice and support in the area of administrative and management services to regional and district health administrations and facilities.
• Providing in collaboration with the HRD, continuous education for all administrative staff country-wide
• Ensuring efficiency in administrative and office procedures as well as modern records keeping
• Coordinating general housekeeping and security of assets and premises at GHS headquarters
• Carrying out supervisory visits to the lower levels of the Service and where necessary explain policy directives, monitor compliance with administrative directives and obtain feedback.
• Coordinating divisional reviews, workshops and seminars
• Contributing to the development and dissemination of health sector policies and programmes


TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Vision:
Our dream and aspiration is to enhance health services delivery through excellence in transport management.

Mission
Our primary mission is to ensure the availability and reliability of transport as an essential logistic for the delivery of health services; and to do this in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

Strategic Intent
Our strategic intent is not just to provide vehicles, but to ensure that high availability and reliability of transport resources translate into improved health outputs; through the corresponding utilization of vehicle availability.

Core Values
To see transport as a vital health tool for the effective delivery of health services

Core Competencies
The Department has an in-depth knowledge and experience in the management of vehicles for the delivery of social services such as health, education, and others. Some of the core knowledge areas are strategic transport management, motorcycle operation and management, Transport Policy formulation, maintenance management systems, designing of transport management systems.

Generic Strategy
To provide an adequate fleet of all types of vehicles, well maintained, managed and deployed particularly to the lower levels of health care to support priority health interventions.These vehicles shall be run by highly trained and motivated personnel.

Strategic Role of Transport in Health Service Delivery
The general roles of transport in the Service are outlined as follows:
• Primary health care (PHC) services (immunization, health education, disease surveillance,rural outreach services, etc)
• Patient Transportation (Transfers and Pre-Hospital Care)
• Monitoring and supervision
• Haulage of medical logistics
• Specialist Outreach Services
• General administrative assignments
Functions/Responsibilities
The Department is responsible for the following:
• Formulation of GHS transport management policy and general management of transport resources
• Prepare GHS Transport Procurement Budget, including annual procurement plan
• Advise on vehicle procurement and allocation
• Develop and maintain National Inventory of all GHS fleet of vehicles
• Ensure the compliance of GHS Transport Policy and other operational documents
• Operate Planned Preventive Maintenance for all GHS fleet of vehicles
• Produce Transport Management Performance report at specified periods for management
• Assess and determine the Human Resources needs of the Department and advise on training and recruitment of staff
• Advise and initiate vehicle specifications, disposal and replacement
• Undertake transport monitoring and evaluation support visits to regions
• Any other transport related matters assigned

Human Resources and Levels of Operation
The Department is staffed with highly trained and dedicated personnel especially, the HQ and Regional Level. It has a wide range of staff who manage transport at the HQ, Regional, District and Institutional Levels.

The Transport Management System of the GHS
There are five major subsystems or components identified in the system. These are Policy, Operational Management, Management Information System, Fleet Management, and People Management.

Policy
It is the adopted framework that sets out the rules within which all transport and related resources are managed in the GHS. The transport policy covers the following main areas such as Vehicle replacement, Standard makes and models, Allocation, Vehicle safety and accident management, organizational responsibilities, etc. The Policy is dormant until it is made active by the Operational Management subsystem.This is the sub-system that determines what should be achieved in the transport management
system.

Operational Management
This sub-system refers to the day-to-day management of all transport resources. The major operational architecture established are the operational management structure, operational procedures, authorization, documentation, planning and scheduling and control measures. The operational management ensures the achievement and measurement of the key performance indicators.

Management Information
It is an evaluative tool, which defines and measures inputs against outputs. This is an information intelligence sub-system. The main information intelligence facets are designing of data collection instruments, sourcing of data, data analysis, information use, reporting on, storage and retrieval management. It has been identified to be a pivotal sub-system, which has facilitated the integration of transport into health management and the overall sustainability of the TMI. It is the nerve-wire of the whole system, receiving operational shocks and providing feedback to other sub-systems. It is operationally pervasive and diffused throughout the entire system.It must be noted that the success of the Transport Management Initiative is anchored in the strong management information intelligence system established during the Project Implementation.

People Management
This is another vital component of the system, which is central to the survival of the other sub-systems. It is the only animated sub-system, which helps animate the other inanimate ones. This sub-system ensures that adequate capacity is built for all key stakeholders involved in transport. The main stakeholders in the model are all managers, Transport Officers (TOs), drivers, mechanics, partners and other ancillary users. People Management involves all activities such as recruitment, training (technical and managerial), deployment, progression and exit of human resources. Senior Management commitment and understanding of transport management issues are vital.

Fleet Management
This broadly relates to the selection and procurement, maintenance and repairs, disposal and replacement of the vehicle fleet. Effective Fleet Management is a basic requirement for operational efficiency, availability and reliability.
All the components work to ensure vehicle availability and reliability.

Transport Portfolio of the Service
1. Motorcycle Used by Sub-districts for rural outreach programmes
2. Saloon Used by Directors for their administrative rounds
3. Pick-Up Used by districts, hospitals and institutions for general service delivery (e.g. Stores, administration, outreach services, monitoring etc.)
4. Bus (Small & Medium) Used primarily by training schools for field studies
5. Ambulance Used by hospitals for the conveyance of critically ill patients on transfer
6. Station Wagon Used by HQ, RHA, Teaching Hospitals and other Institutions for monitoring and trekking
7. Bicycle Used by community department volunteers for disease surveillance
8. Haulage Truck Used by Stores to convey stores and supplies
9. Water Tanker Used for the supply of water to health institutions lacking water
10. Forklift Used for on-loading, off-loading, conveyance and proper handling of stores and supplies
11. Cold Van Used for the distribution of vaccines and medicine needing transport under specific/
prescribed temperatures
12. Bleeding Van To be used for the bleeding of blood donors
13. Hearse Used by hospitals for the conveyance of corpses
14. Tractor Used for service delivery to community departments cut off by river bodies
15. Boat To be used for service delivery in hard-to-reach areas (e.g. Afram Plains)

ESTATE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Functional Responsibilities
The Department ensures proper integrated planning and budgeting for optimal location, and quality of health facilities. It will provide advice, standard technical norms and management guidelines for contract administration to all levels. In addition, it will ensure proper acquisition and legal ownership of all health estates and maintain database on health estates.

CLINICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Functions of Clinical Engineering in Health Care Delivery.The clinical Engineering department applies engineering and managerial skills to healthcare environment in supporting and advancing patient or client care and where necessar promoting health in Ghana through the Ghana Health Service. This department ensures that:
• healthcare equipment are prudently managed to minimized wastage
• healthcare equipment are acquired to address specific needs of the Service
• healthcare equipment are available and maximally utilized in all institutions within the Service
• there is effective and efficient technical support for all available equipment
• breakdown of health care equipment, especially certain critical equipment ar minimized
• there is an effective and efficient replacement program for health care equipment
• there is efficient mechanism for decommissioning and disposal of nonfunctional/ unserviceable/obsolete equipment
• there is availability of management information systems for healthcare equipment at various decision making levels.These functions are executed through the established administrative system for the Ghana
Health Service. Technical problems (such as equipment breakdown, request for equipment, user training, etc) in hospitals, health centres and other GHS facilities must first be reported through the administrative reporting system to the Equipment Manager at the health institution or the Regional Directorate. After the problem has been sorted out at the Regional Directorate, those that need the assistant from the headquarters teams will then be referred for support. Similarly, all requests for equipment must be forwarded to the Head of the Clinical Engineering Department through the existing administrative reporting system.