Public Agenda (Accra)
25 July 2008
The Convention People's Party (CPP) says it will pursue a health policy that is multi-sectoral, embracing the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (for nutrition), Ministry of Sports (for fitness) and the Ministry of Local Government (for sanitation), among others.
A specific policy in this direction will be the establishment of "health desks at key ministries, such as Food and Agriculture, Education, and Water Resources for promotive, preventive and curative services," the CPP stated in its manifesto for Election 2008, which was outdoored on Tuesday in Accra.
The document acknowledged efforts by previous governments to increase access to quality health services for both preventive and curative care but said the efforts have yielded mixed results.
"The National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and ambulance services have been introduced; there has also been some improvement in the remuneration for health personnel. Yet, equity with regards to access to quality health services is generally limited."
To address this, the party has proposed the following specific polices:
- Decentralize the management of health services to the districts;
- Produce and enforce a comprehensive Public Health Law that will improve environmental sanitation, including sanitary inspectors;
- Promote equity to quality health services through improved access to
o Preventive and curative health services nationwide
o Promotive health (through better nutrition and exercise)
o Close collaboration between orthodox and traditional medical practitioners
o Equitable distribution of health personnel nation-wide
o Review of NHIS policy, legislation, and implementation;
- Broaden emergencies services, including ambulance services, countrywide;
- Increase the number of training institutions to produce all cadres of health personnel and provide continuing education for health personnel;
- Strengthen training institutions to provide supervision and monitor performance of health personnel to improve quality health services;
- Promote close collaboration between training institutions and health services personnel where trainers will practice what they teach and health personnel will teach what they practice;
- Expand and equip existing health services to meet increased demand created by the NHIS;
- Provide adequate resources for local research and development for both orthodox and traditional medicine;
- Establish inter-sectoral mechanism to support and coordinate equitable distribution of promotive, preventive and curative health services in Ghana;
- Crack down on corrupt practices, especially in procurement, in the health sector that deprive the state of millions of Ghana cedis every year;
- Encourage Keep Fit Clubs in all communities throughout the country;
- Provide additional incentives, such as the reduction in income taxes on allowances for medical personnel who work in rural or deprived areas, to increase access to health services in those areas. This would be part of a larger programme to improve management in the health sector;
- Intensify HIV-AIDS education, especially among the youth, and make treatment more affordable for those afflicted by this deadly disease;
- Expand facilities, under the Accelerated Capital Investment Programme, to train health personnel as a first step towards combating the brain-drain in the sector.
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