Experts review nation's commitment to health care

Published in the Daily Graphic on 26/06/2010

Story: Matilda Attram
THE International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, provided a platform for nations to outline plans to foster economic development and reduce poverty, with a focus on promoting human rights, empowering women and erasing inequalities within societies.
The conference marked a major milestone in the international community’s struggle to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for all. It also provided a 20-year blueprint that required actions and commitments from both rich and poor countries.
Since then, a number of international summits and conferences have been held leading to the development and adoption of various declarations and conventions. Among these are: The Maputo Plan of Action, the Millennium Development Goals, the Abuja Declaration, the Protocol to the African Union Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Continental Policy Framework for the Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Africa.
Underpinning these programmes of action and declarations, is the commitment to improve sexual and reproductive health of women, thereby contributing to reducing maternal and child mortalities and morbidities.
Speaking at a national conference on the state of the nation’s health in Accra, to review pledges and commitments of government on the improvement of healthcare services in the country, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), Ms Vicky Okine, however stated that 16 years since ICPD, the sexual and reproductive health status of women and children has not seen much improvement.
She said although, according to the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), infant mortality decreased from 64 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 50 per 1,000 live births in 2008, maternal mortality remains high at 580 per 100,000 live birth in 2008, according to the Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS).
She stated that the lack of commitment to improve on sexual and reproductive health of women contributed to the increase of maternal and child mortalities and morbidities in the country and explained that home based deliveries which put the lives of many women of reproductive age at risk remained at 43 percent in 2008, which she noted was significantly high.
She added that rural-urban disparity in health care provision also remained uneven with available statistics of 84 percent of urban births likely to be delivered at health facilities compared to 43 percent in rural areas.
The conference based its discussions on sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, HIV and AIDS and Malaria with regards to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It was on the theme ‘MDGs for Better Health: Promises or Commitment’.
Organised by the ARHR, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the conference was aimed at developing an advocacy agenda on the issue of reproductive, maternal and child health, identify the challenges facing the healthcare system of the country, as well as make recommendations for its improvement.
Addressing participants, the acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Dr Sylvester Anemana said Ghana needed to improve on its support for strategic investments that could contribute to the attainment of its health goals.
“The MDGs represent the one demand our people are making to us as leaders to correct the gross inequalities characterising the world we live in. We must leave a legacy of strong and vibrant health systems capable of keeping us on track that will lead us there eventually,” he said.
According to him, Ghana was among other developing countries that were making efforts to achieve the 2015 MDG targets on health services and stressed the need for more commitment to ensure that health services, especially reproductive services were made universal.
Dr Anemana stated that plans were advanced for the conduct of a nation-wide survey on emergency obstetric and new-born care with the purpose of guiding policies which would strengthen the health system’s response to maternal and child care.
“Ghana has made commitments over the past few years. We have embarked on policies and social protection mechanisms that allow for free services for pregnant women through delivery and up to one year after deliver. Our National Health Insurance Scheme exempts children and pregnant women from paying for health services among others’” he stated.
He mentioned the existence of socio-cultural beliefs and practices, poverty, poor staff attitudes, poor allocation of resources and the lack of sensitisation activities as some major challenges facing the health delivery system in the country.
“We still have socio-cultural beliefs and practices which pose major barriers to women’s health, the low level of awareness about health and danger signs of pregnancy coupled with weak health systems exacerbated by continuing challenges in developing and retaining requisite human resource for health are all challenges we are managing,” he added.