Accra,
Nov.17,
Ghanadot/GNA
- Major
Courage
Quashigah
(Rtd),
Minister
of
Health
on
Monday
launched
the
National
Health
Policy
to serve
as the
basis
for the
development
of
health
sector
priorities
and
planning.
The
55-page
Policy
document
which
aims at
creating
wealth
through
health,
among
other
things
places
emphasis
on
improvements
in
personal
hygiene,
immunisation
of
mothers
and
children,
the
practice
of safe
sex and
the
prevention
of
injuries
at both
work
places
and on
the
road.
The
National
Health
Policy
also
argues
that a
healthy
population
could
only be
achieved
if there
were
improvements
in
environmental
hygiene
and
sanitation,
proper
housing
and town
planning,
provision
of safe
water,
safe
food and
nutrition
and
encouragement
of
regular
physical
exercise.
Addressing
a summit
in Accra
organised
by the
Ministry
of
Health
and its
partners
on
Monday,
Major
Quashigah
called
for
closer
collaboration
with all
stakeholders
in
ensuring
the
achievement
of set
goals.
He said
the
sector
would
enter
into
dialogue
with the
private
sector
in 2009
as to
whether
private
capital
could be
applied
to
provide
staff
accommodation
and
other
infrastructure
to
ensure
quality
health
delivery
in the
country.
Major
Quashigah
said the
National
Health
Policy
would
provide
a new
direction
in the
development
of
health
in the
country,
while
providing
a
framework
for
doing
things
differently.
The
five-day
summit
on the
theme;
“Change
for
better
results,
Improving
Maternal
and
Neo-natal
Health,”
would
afford
health
partners
the
opportunity
to
discuss
the
programmes
of the
sector
for the
next
year.
The
Health
Minister
commended
its
partners
for
their
commitment
which
had
contributed
to a
large
extent,
a
healthy,
productive
and
inclusive
dialogue
in the
health
sector.
“The
Ministry,
Agencies,
and
Department
Partners
are now
closer
on
issues
of
mutual
accountability
and
ownership
of
programmes……What
we
should
avoid is
that
kind of
partnership
that
sees the
Ministry
of
Health
and its
agencies
on one
side and
development
partners
on the
other”
he said.
Major
Quashigah
emphasised
on
change,
to
ensure
positive
results,
saying
such
change
must
come
from
individuals
and
collective
responses
to
issues
and the
way
support
for
programmes
were
mobilised
and
disbursed.
He
however
said in
spite of
the
flourishing
partnership
there
remained
a few
challenges
which
must be
worked
at,
adding
that no
matter
the
performance
of other
sources
of funds
donor
contribution
in
whatever
form,
would
remain
critical
to the
health
sector
and
would
determine
to a
large
extent,
the
level of
the
overall
year-on-year
all
performance.
“Our
quest to
create
wealth
through
health
requires
that we
find
innovative
ways of
doing
things.
We
cannot
continue
to do
business
as usual
and
therefore
as
partners
we must
prepare
to take
some
amount
of risk
in
exploring
new ways
of
securing
the
health
of this
nation,”
he said.
The
Health
Minister
expressed
belief
that the
transitional
year
would
not
distort
the
programmes
and
policies
of the
sector,
saying
there
were
robust
medium
term
programmes
with
clearly
defined
priorities
and
targets,
some of
which
were
defined
within
the
framework
of the
global
initiatives
and thus
continuity
was to a
large
extent
assured.
He said
the
Ghana
Poverty
Reduction
Strategy
was in
its last
implementation
period
and
called
for
increased
efforts
to meet
agreed
targets
while at
the same
time
putting
in place
structures
and
mechanisms
that
would
allow
for the
consolidation
and
sustenance
of gains
made so
far.
He said
there
were a
few
challenges
confronting
the
health
sector,
including
a
setback
to the
polio
free
status
and
increased
the rate
of
maternal
motility.
“As at
the end
of last
week we
have
reported
five
cases of
wild
polio,
two in
Yendi,
one each
in East
Mamprusi,
Tolon
Kumbugu
and
Savelugu
Nanton,
all of
which
were
said to
be cases
imported
from
Benin,”
he said.
He said
the new
development
indicated
that the
population
protection
against
polio
was not
optimal
and
called
for ways
of
strengthening
routine
immunisation
systems
and
improve
the
quality
of mass
campaigns.
Major
Quashigah
also
attributed
current
polio
outbreaks
to the
poor
sanitation
that
children
were
exposed
to and
said
they
needed
between
ten to
fifteen
doses to
be fully
immunised
against
polio.
“Currently
this
cannot
be done
through
the
routine
system
which
targets
only
children
under
one and
provides
only
four
doses.
This
argument
underscores
the need
for us
to
intensify
the mass
campaigns
if we
stand
any
chance
of fully
protecting
our
population.”
he said.
He said
change
for
better
results
and
improving
maternal
and
Neo-natal
health
would be
derived
from the
need to
ensure
safe
reproduction
and
minimise
avoidable
deaths
during
pregnancy
and
childbirth.
The
Minister
mentioned
the Free
Delivery
Service
introduced
by the
government
in July
this
year as
a major
strategy
to
mitigate
the high
maternal
and
infant
mortality
rates,
saying
it led
to a
massive
uptake
of
maternity
services
of the
health
facilities
in the
country.
“On the
average,
all the
health
facilities
visited
four
months
after
the
inception
of the
policy
are
reporting
over 300
percent
increase
in
client
numbers.
He said
the need
to
increase
and
upgrade
infrastructure,
increased
staff,
incentives
for
deprives
areas
and
logistics
were
critical
to the
realisation
of the
gains of
the
programme.
He said
it
required
that in
2009,
things
were
done
differently
to
ensure
better
results
and
accelerate
the
attainment
of
targets,
especially
those
related
to
policies
on
reducing
maternal
and
neo-natal
deaths.
Major
Quashigah
said in
this
direction
the need
to focus
on
addressing
specific
health
system
bottlenecks
including
improving
budget
execution,
data
collection
systems
and
linking
procurement
plans
and
cycles
to the
budget
was key
to
ensuring
an
efficient
and
effective
sector.
“We have
also put
some
emphasis
on
specific
changes
in human
resource
management
necessary
for
improved
productivity
in the
health
sector
and all
these
would
take
steps to
consolidate
the
gains
made
under
the
regenerative
health
and
nutrition
programme,”
he said.
He
expressed
the hope
that the
New
Health
Policy
would
lead to
an
accelerated
development
of the
human
capital
in
Ghana.
Mr
Donald
Teitelbaum,
Ambassador
of the
United
States
of
America,
representing
the
Health
Partners,
called
for the
need to
review
and
revive
family
planning
programmes
and
practices.
He said
quality
family
planning
practices
and
services
were
also key
to
ensuring
a
reduction
in
maternal
mortality
rates.
He also
mentioned
the
malaria
intervention
programme,
which
included
the
distribution
of
Insecticide
Treated
Bed Nets
to both
pregnant
and
lactating
mothers,
saying
these
had
contributed
drastically
to a
reduction
in
malaria
cases
among
the
group.
Mr.
Teitelbaum,
said the
summit
hoped to
address
certain
challenges
that had
confronted
the
health
sector
in the
year and
proposed
changes
to
ensure
quality
health
care
delivery
in the
country.
He
commended
government
on the
implementation
of the
Free
Delivery
Service
programme,
saying
it would
go a
long way
to
complement
other
programmes
aimed at
ensuring
a
reduction
in
maternal
and
neo-natal
mortality
and
strengthen
the
health
care
delivery
system
in the
country.
GNA
