Healthcare Governance and Performance of Hospitals in Ghana: (A Case Study of Volta Regional Hospital, Ho)

Abstract

Healthcare Governance has now become a big issue these days due to management inefficiencies in many hospital facilities in Ghana, which led to a drop in trust and value attached to hospitals by clients and sometimes leading to total collapse of the financial standing of hospitals, (Klapper and Love, 2004). Effective healthcare management is very essential in maintaining a performance health management practices such as openness, accountability and nondiscriminatory on the side of healthcare managers. (Murphy and O’Donohoe, 2006). The objectives of this study are to examine the characteristics of hospital boards adopted by the Ghana health service, ascertain whether the existence of hospital board in the management and oversight role affects performance and also investigating effects of hospital boards’ characteristics as well assense of care on the performance of hospitals. The study found out that, the hospital has medical staff both from outside the facility and within the facility serving on the management board, which equipped the board with administrative information and medical expertise that enhances board’s decision-making. Also, the study found that the quality of the governing boards of hospitals influences the performance of the hospital since the board makes strategic decisions that serve as a sense of direction for the thorough running of the hospital. Research data were obtained from key personnel in the management team of the Volta Regional Hospital as well as the board of directors of the hospital through an interview which was transcribed and analyzed accordingly.