Accra-Ghana, Oct. 20, GNA – Ghana is set to increase her reproductive health supplies by 20 per cent to meet her 2030 Family Planning goals.
The goals include comprehensive reproductive, maternal, newborn child, adolescent health and nutrition systems.
Dr Claudette Diego, Logistics and Supply Manager, Ghana Health Service (GHS) made this known to the media on the sidelines of the 2023 General Membership Meeting of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) in Accra.
“Government has gone ahead to make a commitment to increase its purchase of commodities across the country…Government has planned that it is going to increase its commodity procurement by 20 per cent.” Dr Diego said at the event.
The RHSC General Membership Meeting, which brought together participants from all over the world, was to reflect on the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on money, markets and movement in the reproductive health supply sector.
Dr Diego noted that Ghana showed a lot of resilience in responding to reproductive health issues during the pandemic but one challenge the country had to contend with was the shortage of commodities in some parts of the countries.
She said though the country was able to maneuver its way, the situation was what informed the Government’s decision to increase its purchase of reproductive commodities so that there would not be shortages.
Dr Diego informed that the GHS learnt from the pandemic experience and had therefore intensified its advocacy drive to secure funding for the procurement of reproductive health products.
Mr Martin Smith, Director, RHSC, he noted that menstrual health products in the West Africa sub-region were heavily taxed, contributing immensely to shortages in the sub-region.
He observed that governments in some African countries did not prioritise reproductive health supplies.
He noted that countries like Indonesia and India were now paying for most of the their reproductive health supplies from domestic sources and not donor fund, saying those countries were able to do so because they had prioritized reproductive health supplies.
Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, the Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf by Dr Maureen Martey, Head, Bilateral Resource Mobilisation, said access to reproductive health products was not a mere health objective but an unequivocal human right.
Government will do its best to ensure that every citizen is equipped with tools to make informed family choices, according to the Minister.
