In Accra, the 2023 Annual Health Summit was launched on Monday with a plea for strategic funding for the medical field.
A better, more responsive, and more robust health system will be ensured by proper finance for the health sector, according to the call’s initiator, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health.
“Sustainable Financing for Primary Health Care (PHC) towards Attaining of Universal Health Coverage in Ghana; the role of stakeholders” is the focus of the three-day summit.
Participants from the Ministries and Departments, all health sector organizations, development partners, implementing partners, civil society, and non-governmental organizations are all present at the summit to discuss practical steps Ghana can take to secure long-term funding for universal health coverage.
The summit is held annually to give stakeholders the chance to assess the sector’s performance in the previous year and reevaluate the importance of health for the upcoming work program.
Kwaku Agyeman-Manu claimed that the nation’s economic woes will make 2022 exceedingly difficult.
Despite the difficulties, he claimed, the health sector’s actions and associated outputs, outcomes, and impacts remained mostly steady.
“The year saw a decline in the institutional maternal mortality ratio from 119.6 in 2021 to 102.6 in 2022, however, Ashanti, Greater Accra and Eastern regions recorded high maternal mortality ratios. So, there is an urgent need to support these regions to address the possible contributory factors,” he said.
Institutional stillbirths, neonatal, baby, and under-five mortalities, according to the Minister, all decreased somewhat in 2022.
According to him, acceptance rates for family planning increased from 33.8% in 2021 to 36.1% in 2022, with the Ahafo region recording the highest acceptance rates overall.
Mr Agyeman- Manu said all-cause mortality rates also declined from 21.73 per cent to 19 per cent in 2022.
The Health Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and increasing access to essential health services by 2030 and beyond, which could be achieved through strategic investments in primary healthcare.
He called for a strengthened collaboration with Metropolitan and Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs) to mobilize resources to address issues affecting primary healthcare delivery.
Source: myjoyonline
