Health coalition calls on government to keep momentum on attaining UHC

With about eleven years to go, the momentum towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 must be kept higher in the country.

Ms Evelyn Bema Darkwa, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Chairperson of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), has said.

This could be done through robust awareness creation on the importance of good health, healthy lifestyles as well as emphasizing the right to health and healthcare services, she said.

Speaking at a general meeting of the regional chapter of the GCNH in Sunyani, Ms Darkwa called on civil society actors to support the effort to hold government, local leaders and decision-makers accountable to their commitments to improve access to quality healthcare.

She said the GCNH envisages that Ghana would attain its goals so it is committed to ensure increased and improved universal healthcare coverage services in the country and accelerate the SDGs Three attainment by 2030.

The United Nations SDGs Three seeks to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment, as well as promoting mental health and well-being by 2030.

Ms Darkwa expressed concern on the lack of access to essential health services in the country and this remains a major cause of ill-health and early mortality.

UHC is a key component in effort to achieve the human right to health, she said, and called for strong partnerships between government, private sector and civil society organisations towards creating UHC scheme that fitted the social, political and cultural contexts of the regions and the country.

Ms Jane Adae-Kyeremeh, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Disease Control Officer and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Coordinator, said the Regional Health Directorate has achieved success in immunization in the three regions.

She said immunization coverage generally has improved but expressed worry that it was difficult to cover some parts of the regions during the rainy seasons because of bad roads and lack of motorbikes.

Ms Addae-Kyeremeh said a lot is needed to be done to improve immunization coverage in the Dormaa Central Municipality in the Bono and Pru East and Pru West Districts in the Bono East Regions.

She said with the availability of motorbikes, health personnel would be able to reach out to hard-to-reach communities in the regions.