Ghana has joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the theme; “Health for All”.
At a ceremony in Accra on Friday, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Francis Kasolo, charged the government to accelerate efforts in meeting global health-related targets to promote the quality of health in the country.
He said Ghana had been a major beneficiary of WHO’s contributions to member states over the years, impacting health policy, funding, infrastructural development, human resource capacity, regulation, research and health emergency response among other areas.
Nonetheless, Dr Kasolo noted that recent happenings, including the COVID-19 pandemic, threatened the successes attained and could affect the country’s progress towards attaining Goal Three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which aims to prevent needless suffering from preventable diseases and premature death by focusing on key targets that boost the health of a country’s overall population.
“COVID-19 has shown us that the emerging foes of health are not just new pathogens and infectious diseases but also misinformation, disinformation, loss of trust in institutions among the general population putting science and health institutions under attack.”
The Country Representative implored the government to, among other actions, address the inequitable health workforce distribution across the country and increase domestic funding for health to improve quality delivery of services.
He expressed the WHO’s commitment to continue assisting Ghana to meet the health needs of the populace, saying, “WHO’s own story begun 75 years ago and is still being written.
“The challenges we face today are very different from those in 1948 but our vision remains unchanged; the highest possible standard of health for all people.”
The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, admitted the vast support Ghana had received from the WHO in support of preparedness and response to health emergencies, including, recent outbreaks like Marburg, Monkey pox and COVID-19.
He said although Ghana had made progress towards achieving universal health coverage, it needed much support and collaboration to bridge existing gaps.
“It is our expectation that WHO will continue to promote development, foster health security and help strengthen our health system to make it more resilient.
“We are still in need of the technical assistance you offer, the catalytic change and building of sustainable institutional capacities that you have always done.”
In a keynote lecture, the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Professor Fred Binka, called on the WHO to disband its regional offices to divert the resources into strengthening its country offices to advance global health.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
