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MOH pledges to eradicate malaria
Accra, Nov. 20, Ghanadot/GNA - This year's health summit of
Health Development Partners opened in Accra on Tuesday with
a pledge by the Ministry of Health to completely eradicate
malaria which had an estimated total economic cost of 772.4
million US dollars per annum.
Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Health, who
opened the summit, said the amount was equivalent to the
MOH’s annual budget for 2008 and that if urgent actions were
not taken, the disease, being the number one cause of
morbidity and mortality, would erode the National Health
Insurance Fund as well.
During the three-day summit, stakeholders would agree on the
2008 priorities after reviewing progress and lessons in
2007, and the vision of the future as captured in the Health
Policy five-year programme of work from 2007- 2011 as well
as Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Major Quashigah said the calculation of the treatment of
malaria, which translated to GH 30.04 cedis or 32.65 dollars
per capita, was based on the number of reported cases alone
and was thought to be an underestimation.
"For this reason, in 2008, we will continue with the
distribution of insecticide treated nets and promote the
intermittent treatment of malaria among pregnant women as
well as the proper case management of those with malaria,”
he said.
Major Quashigah said as part of the intervention, the high
impact rapid delivery programme was being complemented with
other programmes to scale up the control of malaria as well
as Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS with funds from the Global Fund
and other development partners.
The Health Minister said the government would be working
with stakeholders to develop a medium-term strategy to
eliminate malaria as a public health problem in addition to
polio and measles.
He said documentation for certification of Ghana as a
polio-free country had been accepted by the Africa Regional
Commission on Polio Certification and for the past four
years measles cases had fallen below 500 with no deaths
reported.
He said improvements in the maternal, infant and neonatal
care would help reduce maternal and child mortality and this
could be achieved if pregnant women delivered under
supervision in health facilities with those with
complications receiving caesarean section and safe blood.
Major Quashigah said there was the need for adequate numbers
of health workers and well-equipped facilities in the
remotest parts of the country to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals.
He said regenerative health and nutrition was another
priority the MOH was undertaking to address risk factors for
ill-health and that it had been piloted in 10 districts and
would be scaled-up in 2008.
Regenerative health aims at promoting health literacy,
healthy lifestyles and healthy environment to renew strength
and prevent diseases.
Touching on the National Health Insurance Scheme, Major
Quashigah said it was one of the most important pro-poor
social policies to be implemented by government which was
operational in all districts with 55 per cent coverage as at
September this year.
He said to make it sustainable, a closer look would be taken
on the financing of the fund, and improve access and quality
of service by improving the timeliness of claims and
monitoring of supporting hospitals to manage resources
efficiently.
He mentioned the three challenges that the health sector
faced as the availability and productivity of the human
resource for health delivery; availability and accessibility
of health infrastructure; and ensuring adequate and
predictable financing of the programme of work.
As the first step, the Ministry would consolidate the
programme for rationalising salaries of health workers and
initiate a programme to enhance workforce productivity.
"I see 2008 to be a challenging and busy year. It is for
this reason that I declare 2008 as a ‘Year of Action’ for
the health sector" he said, and called on all partners and
stakeholders to help to make a difference.
Ms Lidi Remmelzwaal, Ambassador of the Netherlands, who
represented the development partners, said all stakeholders
must work in a coordinated manner to complement one another.
She said the MOH must complement the work of the District
Assemblies in the provision of social services like water,
education and sanitation to make the regenerative health
aims a reality.
She called for collaboration between the Ministries of
Health, Finance and Economic Planning, Education, Water
Resources, Works and Housing and the Local Government and
Rural Development in promoting health for all and that the
development partners would strive to support and participate
in their endeavours.
Pastor (Dr.) Mensa Otabil, Founder and General Overseer of
the International Central Gospel Church, who chaired the
opening, called on the authorities to ensure that the
communities were structured in such a way to allow for space
to exercise, relax and enjoy the natural environment to cut
down on stress.
He said both adults and children experienced a lot of stress
due to bad planning which had resulted in all the bad things
happening in the country, adding that, the nation had the
duty to produce sane but not stressed human beings.
Pastor Otabil said Ghanaians had acquired the taste for all
the bad things including fatty and refined foods adding that
people should eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise a
lot so as not to fall prey to diseases.
GNA
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