SEND GHANA, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has charged the Ghanaian media to drive the economic and public health impact of epidemics in Ghana.
According to the NGO, epidemics has led to mortality, affected livelihoods of individuals, households, collapsed businesses and stall the growth of the economy.
Speaking at a media engagement in Accra, a Senior Programmes Officer with SEND Ghana, Harriet Nuamah Agyemang said " Ghana has developed a costed national action plan for health security aimed adequately preparing and effectively responding to epidemics, however, implementation of this plan is challenged by limited or no funding devoted to it"
She added that to be able to draw the attention of government to the necessity of the plan and to influence decisions for annual budget funding allocation with evidence, a study desk was undertaken by SEND GHANA to assess the economic and public health impact of the disease in the country.
"The relevance of reminding ourselves of periodically of the devastating effects of epidemics cannot be downplayed" she noted.
She told Journalists that their findings of the review points to the fragility of the country’s economy.
"Epidemics of high magnitudes such as COVID-19 affected economic performance and stalled growth by reducing overall projected gross domestic product (GDP) from 6.8percent to less than one percent"
Madam Agyemang stressed that the epidemic outbreaks have resulted in revenue loss, increased morbidity among the working class, limited movements and slowdown of intra and international trades which leads to loss productivity.
She mentioned that government must provide the leadership and work to protect and sustain gains made by strengthening intergovernmental and public and private sector collaboration to improve health service delivery and contain future epidemic outbreak.
She charged Journalists to devote time and drum home the causes and effects of epidemics in Ghana and also challenge authorities to see the need to channel their attention to.
Madam Agyemang hinted that if the media takes up the fight and pushes the appropriate authorities of which they act on it, the country’s health sector will be one of best in the world About SEND Ghana: SEND Ghana is a subsidiary of SEND Foundation of West Africa, founded in August 1998.
The organisation was established to build advocacy at the grassroots level to enable local communities in remote areas to engage the government and ensure their rights to benefits from national policies and programmes.
The core area of work is on policy and decision making related to education, health and agriculture with a special focus on the inclusion of women.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
Comentarios