Fast Track the development of Primary Health Care Policy – CSOs

By Joyce
Danso/ Ms Lilliana Owusu-Akyem, GNA

Accra, Oct. 4, GNA – Civil Society
Organisations (CSO’s) on Thursday called on the Ministry of Health to fast
track the development of a national policy on Primary Health Care (PHC) to
facilitate primary health care services in the country.

According to the CSO’s the development of a
national primary health care policy would provide a broader framework for the
realisation of universal health coverage in Ghana.

Representatives of the CSOs noted that due to
the absence of a national policy, there was the lack of direction in the
provision of primary health care and essential services, thereby, creating gaps
in health financing and service delivery in the country.

The CSOs made the call at a Consultative
meeting organisation by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) in
Accra.

The meeting also seek to solicit inputs of
CSOs on a draft Statement to be presented at this Global Conference on Primary
Health Care at Astana, Kazakhstan on October 25 to 26, this year.

Mr Isaac Nyampong, a Programmes Officer of
ARHR said though there were notions of PHC in the CHPS concept, Ghana lacked a
specified Essential Health Service (EHS) package.

“What we have, are defined multiple packages
of health services in various government programmes including CHPS, National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Newborn health, Maternal and Reproductive
Health and Adolescent Sexual  Health and
all these need to be in one document”.

He explained that about 60 percent of the EHS
package was not covered by the NHIS and the current focus of the NHIS was on
curative services, which did not serve the purposes of promoting key principles
underlining Universal Health Coverage and PHC.

“The NHIS does not cover health promotion and
education and other preventive services. Similarly, other essential services
including family planning, outreach services as well as cost of monitoring are
not reimbursable”, he added.

Mr Nyampong further observed that the NHIS was
only curative and it did not provide key principles which underlie Universal
health Care and Primary health care.

According to Mr Nyampong, EHS constituted an
important aspect of a good health system.

“The EHS package should be aligned with the
NHIS benefit package to ensure that guaranteed access to primary health care in
Ghana,” he added.

Nana Aisha Mohammed, a Consultant to ARHR
stressed the need for the country to look for strategic funding of the NHIS.

According to Nana Aisha, it was also important
that a flagship programme was set out in the health sector for politicians to
take them up in order to improve the health being of people.

She also proposed the implementation of
progressive taxes on some foods and beverages that were inimical to the health
of the people.

Giving an overview of Primary Health Care
Expenditure in Ghana, Nana Aisha noted that there were no clear directions or
statements on how government was addressing inequitable distribution of
existing health workers across the country.

“The Budget statement is silent on the update
of the Ghana Health Service Staffing norms outlined in the 2017 Budget and we
need to do an assessment on that”.

She cited a 2017 World Health Organisation (WHO)
report, which indicated that prices of medicines in Ghana were 31 per cent high
than the price on the international market.

She however welcomed the removal of 17.5 per
cent Value Added Tax on some drugs in the country.

Dr Koma Jehu-Appiah, a Civil Society Advocate
who chaired, stressed the need for CSOs to be reawakened and ensured
accountability in the health sector.

Ms Vicky T. Okine, Executive Director, ARHR,
noted that the country’s health sector was bedevilled with challenges such as
leakages, lack of accountability and fake medicines.

According to her some people were unable to
afford drugs and laboratory services.

“As a country we are not making any
investments in health promotion, rehabilitation and palliative care and we also
constrained in getting information on health expenditure,” she stated.

She appealed to stakeholders to provide
adequate and timely information so that CSO’s could hold government
accountable.

GNA

قالب وردپرس