Government says it has put in place alternatives to keep the health system running to avert any emergency situation in the interim as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shuts down its operations in the country.
With the USAID being Ghana’s largest bilateral development donor especially in the health sector, the devastating effect of it pulling out globally has been of concern to many.
But the Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh during an exclusive interview with 3news on his first day at work on Monday February 10 has allayed all fears, assuring there is no need for panic.
The United States, through its USAID support has contributed significantly to Ghana’s development, particularly in areas like economic growth, democracy, education, health, and agriculture since the agency’s six-decade mission overseas.
Already, the impact is being felt, with the Ghana Health Service issuing a formal notice to Regional Directors in the three northern regions, warning of disruptions to the supply chain and availability of essential health commodities.
Approximately, Ghana receives about 150 million dollars annually, hence the halt of the agency’s operations in the country could have dire consequences especially in the health system.
The agency supports areas including HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB interventions, maternal and child health, reproductive health commodities, disease control, training of human resources among many.
The Health Minister is also hopeful the United States government will rescind its decision in the near future.
‘‘Yes, they are very sensitive in the healthcare delivery of this country, and we hope that in the nearest future, they will rescind their decision to come back and assist us. But as a country, irrespective of whether they come back or not, we must continue to exist as a sovereign nation. We’re a sovereign nation. And so we have put alternatives in place such that we don’t run into emergency situations,” he stated.
Mr Akandoh noted that, “We have tried to put alternative measures in place to continue to run those activities so there’s no cost for alarm. Of course, they are very essential. Of course, we need them. But as we speak, I don’t think we should panic. We have solid plans in place to contain all these shocks for the meantime, so we’ll begin to think about the medium to long term plan so that will not be adversely affected by the withdrawal.”
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