Co-creating options by means of multi-sectoral strategy for sustainable well being financing in Ghana

Accra, Ghana – Well being financing has been recognized as the important thing to unlocking progress in direction of the attainment of Common Well being Protection (UHC) as enshrined within the 2030 agenda for sustainable growth, particularly the Sustainable Improvement Purpose (SDG) 3.

On common, Ghana’s complete well being spending is decrease than comparator Sub-Saharan African and lower-middle earnings nations.  Nevertheless, it has a comparatively larger share of well being spending derived from public sources as in comparison with out-of-pocket sources.

Exterior help for well being has decreased dramatically as a share of complete well being spending between 2015 and 2019, falling from 25% to 11%.  This quantity is larger on common as in comparison with different lower-middle earnings and there’s a concern a few lack of serious coverage measures wanted to facilitate a transition course of whereby beforehand supported donor interventions are sustained with home, public financing.

To assist handle the funding gaps, increase funding and enhance well being outcomes, the Ministry of Well being has developed a Nationwide Well being Financing Technique. This was made attainable with funding from the United Nations Multi-Companion Belief Fund Workplace (UNMPTF) by means of the technical management of the World Well being Group (WHO). 

“Ghana has taken very important steps in direction of reaching the UHC and we acknowledged that financing our well being ambitions can’t be realized with out an efficient technique in place,” famous Mr. Kwakye Kontor, the Head of Planning & Finances Unit on the Ministry of Well being and the lead Coordinator of the evaluate of the Well being Financing Technique.

However the partnership between Ghana and WHO in direction of this new financing blueprint for Ghana has been lengthy within the making. The event of the technique was one of many key suggestions of the 2019 Ghana Well being Financing Discussion board.

“The technique growth course of has been two years of co-creation by companions,” says Susan Sparkes, a WHO Technical Officer with the well being financing workforce on the WHO headquarters. “The method demonstrates how nimble WHO is in responding to the wants governments.”

For the needs of creating a complete technique that may be owned by all stakeholders, the Technical Working Group on Well being Financing has been activated, comprising members from key stakeholder establishments to co-create the technique to fulfill the present and future financing wants of the well being sector.

“The processes for the event of the technique are as vital as the ultimate doc itself. The end result of the participation of key stakeholders on this lengthy course of has demonstrated what we will obtain if we deepen collaboration in direction of well being financing” Kingsley ADDAI FRIMPONG, Well being Economist – on the Common Well being Protection and Life Course Cluster, WHO Ghana.

As rightly famous by the Director for Analysis, Coverage, Monitoring and Analysis on the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA), Dr. Francis Asenso-Boadi, the technique growth course of has benefited from the experience of varied stakeholders who’re energetic gamers in Ghana’s well being financing regime. “The beauty of this technique is that, it incorporates the skilled inputs of all key stakeholders,” famous Mr. Asenso-Boadi. “We’re assured that, this technique will remodel well being financing in any respect ranges of care”.

During the last 30 years, Ghana has proven its sturdy political, legislative, and financial dedication to well being system reform to make progress in direction of UHC. This contains the UHC Roadmap and the Well being Sector Medium-Time period Improvement Plan (HSMTDP) 2022-2025. Subsequently, the well being financing technique is anticipated to enhance present efforts in direction of UHC attainment in Ghana.

“Given the financing wants of the well being sector, this technique is coming at a greater time,” the Head of the United Nations (UN) Techniques Unit, Ministry of Finance, Mrs Gladys Osabutey, indicated. “With the inclusion of all key stakeholders within the technique growth course of, I’m satisfied we could have the wanted self-discipline for efficient implementation.” 

The importance of the technique and its inclusive growth course of is just not misplaced on Ghana’s well being sector growth companions. As Dr Elisha Kipkemoi Ngetich, a Well being Specialist on the World Financial institution believes “the variety of voices that’s mirrored within the technique growth course of is a sign of the dedication of all stakeholders to seeing a well-financed well being sector that makes healthcare accessible and reasonably priced to the inhabitants”. 

The 2022 Ghana Well being Financing Technique (HFS) builds on the inspiration of well being imaginative and prescient, coverage, technique, and priorities contained within the UHC Roadmap and Well being Sector Medium-Time period Improvement Plan 2022-2025. The HFS digs deep to establish, discover, and suggest options to key, intractable, and longstanding well being financing points. It additionally develops particular methods for the well being financing features of income assortment, pooling and buying. This two-pronged strategy of addressing key, longstanding points and additional strengthening the three well being financing features creates dynamic, sequenced interplay and synergies between focused actions and complete strengthening, avoids duplicating the UHC Roadmap and ensures adequate depth of methods and plans to make progress in addressing the continued well being financing and repair supply challenges in Ghana.