Cynthia Mamle Morrison
Institutions of State have been urged to be proactive in meeting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) commitments in Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
According to Representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and the media, there was the need to ensure the systematic integration of GESI actions into national health policies and programmes, and their adoption of such activities by all stakeholders to ensure that no one was left behind.
This call was made at a one day stakeholders meeting organized by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), a Ghanaian Non-governmental Organisation, with sponsorship from the STAR-Ghana Foundation.
It was to share with the participants, the outcome of a participatory monitoring and recommendations of a project that sought to ensure the systematic integration of GESI actions into national health policies and programmes in three districts in two regions.
ARHR Communications Manager, Doris Ampong, said the project seeks to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to the best reproductive health care.
She said the project monitored four districts; Agona East; and Komenda-Edina-Aguafo-Abirem (KEEA) in the Central Region; and South Dayi Districts in the Volta Region using a GESI monitoring tool to score the integration of GESI into the UHC.
Ms Ampong recommendations were made to address the deficiencies identified, which included ease of access to health care facilities and services by GESI groups, (basically involved Persons with Disabilities (PWD), pregnant women, aged).
Again, there was an issue regarding lack of disability friendly services including privacy for adolescent sexual and reproductive health services, as well as proximity of health facilities to PWDs.
“There is the need to educate both rights holders and healthcare workers on proper client engagement in keeping with the rights and responsibilities in the NHIS policy document.”
The Community Health Worker Manual and the Patient’s Rights Charter, is to allow client to hold healthcare service providers accountable for any lapses in punctuality, conduct or care,” she added.
Ms Ampong said quite a number of the recommendations of the Alliance, which was captured in the policy brief have been implemented, however there still remained a number of things to ensure that GESI groups were wholly considered in national health policies.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri