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Ghana successful in Sexual and
Reproductive Services - Prof. Sai
Accra, July 23, GNA - Professor Fred T. Sai, Presidential
Advisor on Population, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS on
Monday said Ghana had advanced in addressing Sexual and
Reproductive Health (SRH) issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
He attributed this success to a stronger political will and
commitment not only from government but also health
professionals and other non-governmental organisations
working in the field.
He said despite the successful strides chalked, the area
still faced numerous challenges that when addressed would
help achieved greater heights, citing the reduction of
Ghana's maternal mortality from 800 per 100,000 live births
to the barest minimal.
Prof. Sai who said this at a SRH stakeholders meeting in
Accra as part of a study tour of Canadian and European Union
Members of Parliament on SRH, said Ghana had enough policies
and human resources but needed funds for effective and
sustainable implementation.
The study tour was to increase awareness and support for SRH
issues among parliamentarians.
It was organised by the Ghana's Population Council (NPC) in
collaboration with Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG)
Prod Sai appealed to donor countries to support developing
countries for programmes without necessarily interfering in
their programmes.
He mentioned areas such as unsafe abortion, unwanted
pregnancy and neonatal deaths were some of the SRH problems
the country was confronted with and assured that government
was doing all it could to ensure the good health of women,
children and the unborn babies.
Mrs Gladys Brew, Safe Motherhood Programme of the Ghana
Health Service (GHS), there was a unmet need for
contraception and that coverage was as low as 34 per cent,
high maternal deaths, as well as high neonatal deaths, which
stood at 43 per 1000 live births.
She explained that GHS had developed strategic plans to
improve maternal and neonatal health, increase contraceptive
use, enhance and promote reproductive health and strengthen
partnerships.
She attributed the high maternal deaths to some cultural
practices among certain communities and said "our programme
would be promoting reproductive health knowledge and health
sexual behaviour among adolescents, vulnerable and reduce
the incidence and manage the effects of harmful traditional
practices relating to reproductive health."
Dr Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, Deputy Director of Public Health
and Family Planning of GHS, reiterated the fact that Ghana
enough policies, frameworks, strategic documents and
protocols to work with till 2011 and what needed were funds
to work with.
She called on the Ghanaian Parliamentary Caucus on
Population and Development to create a budget line to
address sexual and reproductive health services. "We have
the human resources and all we need is money so we can
achieve the universal target of ensuring safe motherhood and
saving the live of infants from preventable diseases".
Mr Francis Yankey, Executive Director (PPAG) who spoke on
the "SRH Management in Ghana- The NGOs and Private Sector
Perspective" said there over 4000 NGOs working in the area
of SRH and called for the need to increase local resource
mobilisation.
Mrs Viginia Ofosu-Armah, Chairperson of NPC said the total
fertility rate had dropped from 6.4 per cent in 1988 to 4.4
per cent in 2003 whilst the use of modern contraceptives
methods had increased from five percent in 1988 to 19 per
cent in 2003.
GNA
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