Gov’t urged to address inequalities in health sector

The Universal Access to Healthcare Campaign (UAHC), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on government, to as a matter of urgency, address the inequalities in the country’s health sector.

The Campaign is urging the Human Resource Department of the Ministry of Health to embark on a vigorous equitable deployment of health professionals across the country to bridge the inequality gap.

The Organization said the doctor to patient ratio currently stood at one doctor per 2,700 patients in the Greater-Accra Region, while one doctor to 36,000 patients in the Upper West Region.

The NGO, therefore, urged the Ministry of Health to ensure that at least, each district had a doctor, nurse, and midwife, to provide quality health care.

Mr Archibald Adams, the National Campaign Coordinator, UAHC, made the call on Tuesday when the NGO presented a communiqué to Dr Victor Bampoe, the Deputy Minister of Health, after a health walk from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Arts Centre in Accra.

Mr Adams said the World Health Organization recommended the Universal Health Coverage model as a way of ensuring that all people had access to health services without the risk of financial hardships.

He commended the government for introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme in 2003, which he said, covered only 38 per cent of the population, adding that government could do better.

The campaign also urged government to work with the Ghana Medical Association, to agree on mutually beneficial conditions of service, to avert their intended nationwide strike on July 29.

He urged government to ensure that the 2016 national budget dedicated 15 per cent to the health sector.

Mr Adams appealed to government to implement a progressive and equitable tax reform, to financially sustain the NHIS, and make available essential life-saving drugs, such as anti-retroviral and malaria vaccines.

The campaign urged the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation systems, to flush out any health facility charging illegal fees, or providing poor healthcare services to card holders.

Dr Bampoe, receiving the communiqué, pledged to channel their concerns to the authorities, for appropriate discussions for amicable solutions.