Ghana is taking steps to prevent shortages and delays in the delivery of essential health commodities as the government reviews its funding and procurement arrangements for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes.
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, met a Global Fund delegation led by the Head of the Grant Management Division, Mark Eldon Edington, to discuss concerns over the availability of health commodities and the long term sustainability of key health programmes.
The meeting focused on Ghana’s co-financing commitments, the procurement and clearance of health commodities, and how donor supported programmes can be better aligned with the government’s priorities, including the Free Primary Healthcare initiative.
Akandoh thanked the Global Fund for its longstanding support to Ghana but said there was a need for closer coordination between donor funded programmes and government plans to ensure that health interventions meet the country’s priorities.
On Ghana’s co-financing obligations under the Global Fund’s seventh grant cycle, known as GC7, the minister said the country had committed about US$38.5 million, representing 85 per cent of its US$45 million commitment.
He said the Ministry of Health was also working to establish a dedicated budget line for selected health programmes as part of efforts to strengthen domestic financing and reduce reliance on external support over time.
Edington welcomed the progress on co-financing but raised concerns about stockouts of essential commodities, weaknesses in procurement and delays in clearing health supplies at Ghana’s ports.
He said the challenges needed both immediate and lasting solutions to ensure that essential commodities reach health facilities when they are needed and that similar problems do not continue to recur.
In response, Akandoh said the ministry had begun introducing measures to speed up the clearance of health commodities.
These include ensuring that shipping documents are completed before consignments arrive in Ghana and increasing competition among clearing agents to improve efficiency.
The minister assured the Global Fund delegation that the government remained committed to resolving the supply and procurement challenges.
He said ensuring the timely availability of essential health commodities was critical to maintaining quality healthcare and supporting programmes that provide treatment and prevention services for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria across the country.
