The Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) and partners have called on the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to as a matter of urgency design systems and services in a way that ensures vulnerable groups are treated with kindness by compassionate, competent staff working in the health system.
The civil society groups in a communique, “Promoting Integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in National Health Policies and Commitments towards Universal Health Coverage in Ghana, said in order to successfully make a positive impact towards the SDGs, it is essential that critical and realistic steps are taken to ensure that the health system guarantees universal health coverage of all who need healthcare in Ghana without leaving anyone behind.
They thus called on health institutions to address proactively the poor attitudes among service providers reported by clients.
“As health care workers, they should be continually retrained to show respect to clients at all times and in all situations to avoid driving GESI groups into opting out of facility-based services, ” the communique stated.
They also called for the prioritization of knowledge and skills in sign language communication as a mandatory requirement for the promotion of health service providers as well as the equipment of facilities particularly CHPS compounds with essential drugs and equipment, telephone for communication, water, sanitation, power, and transport incase referral is needed.
They further observed the need to prioritize community education on health rights and other entitlements to strengthen grassroots accountability and relationship with civil society organisations to increase accountability and leverage local knowledge.
“We need research to work out what is needed, where, how, what works, why did it work, why did not work, provide change, monitor progress and hold people to be accountable, ” it noted.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri