Information is?that, more children and mothers are likely to die from preventable diseases if the government of Ghana does not invest more into health service delivery particularly Primary Health Care (PHC). Some of these preventable disease are: Maleria, diarrhoea and pneumonia and others.
For instance, the 2015 Government of Budget allocation to health sector was only 9.47% of total government proposed spending.
More so, the commitment of the Ministry of health to accelerate progress towards the 15% health spending, including the 10% pay cut of the President and his Cabinet ministers to support health delivery, and recommendations by Civil Society Organizations to ensure that Ghana meets her commitment to the Abuja Declaration, the 2015 budget allocation is way below the 15% threshold or target.
The low level of resources mobilization for health care delivery will make it difficult for the country to pursue the expansion and construction of Community-Based Health Planning and Services(CHPS) zones and compounds nationwide to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the citizens in the rural areas according to the plans contained in the 2015 health budget.
This falls short of government’s own commitment to the Abuja Declaration which states that the governments of the sub-region to commit must 15% of their total budgets on health by 2015.
Despite some progress has been made towards the achievement of the health related Millennium Development Goals, Ghana is not likely to meet Millennium Development Goals(MDG)4 and 5 relating to malaria and child health.
More so, this year marks the end of the MDGs and the period for the formulation of next set of development goal- the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).
Briefing the media on the trends of health budget allocations in Accra, the National Director of World Vision Ghana(WVG) noted that the Government of Ghana acceded to the Abuja Declaration in 2001, thereby committing itself to spending at least 15%of the total national budget on health. This he said, analysis of available data suggests that Ghana has only achieved the 15% benchmark of general expenditure on health only. That on three occasions (2005 and2013) .
Based on the above data and analysis, the World Vision Ghana through the Child Health Now Campaign, partners and other Civil Society Organization under the umbrella of the Ghana Coalition NGO’s in Health(GCNH) would like to make the following recommendations to the government of Ghana”
That is: Increasing funding and allocation to health delivery so as to meet the 15% target set out in the Abuja Declaration and to ensure that resources are channeled towards improving maternal and child health, Full implementation of commitment to double the number of CHPS compounds from 1600 to about 3200 to meet the needs of underserved rural communities, Prioritize primary health within the context of the CHPS initiatives, focusing on prevention and health promotion programmes.
Others are: declaring the progress made regarding the implementation of the voluntary 10% pay cut for the President and his cabinet as well as government appointees and addressing the chronic problem of delays in the disbursement of funds to make the 2015 Health Budget relevant to improving the heath status of every child, mother and the all citizens.
By: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo
