- I find it surprising that a government claiming to have done so much in the area of health will not deem it necessary to put the statistics out to buttress its arguments.
Given enough time, you could convince yourself that loneliness was something better, that it was solitude, the ideal condition for reflection, even a kind of freedom.”
Over the last few days, I have tried to reflect on the health gains, if any, that the Ghanaian has made this year. In doing so I have had to confront the question of whether as a people we understand what expectations we ought to have in the area of health. I ask this because, with ten days left in 2019, the Ministry of Health has failed to publish the 2018 Holistic Assessment of Health Sector Programme of Work. The document gives an overview of our health sector’s performance in that year in comparison to the previous years.
This sign of impunity which has come to be an accepted part of our public service management has not, till date, been challenged by any part of our society. This is a clear indicator of a society that does little to track improvements in the health space. The result is that those in charge of our health sector have been churning out figures the veracity of which none can vouch for; leading to many debates in the sector being had from an emotional rather than an evidential standpoint.
I find it surprising that a government claiming to have done so much in the area of health will not deem it necessary to put the statistics out to buttress its arguments.
The only conclusion I can draw is that perhaps, they are aware that the data does not back their rhetoric. I hope that in 2020, both the 2018 and 2019 versions of this document will be put out so the public can assess how the health sector has been managed under the stewardship of President Akufo-Addo.
This is because to start with, it is not good enough for the government to talk about how much investments they have made in health, through the procurement of equipment and infrastructure without being able to show ultimately how the average voter has benefited from those investments. The government must be able to show us what difference the inputs they have made in health have affected our outcome health indicators. They must also show any clear improvements compared with those achieved under former President Mahama.
Looking at the major health indicators for Ghana should give anyone who has the country at heart a lot to ponder over. Though it may seem that our life expectancy is rising, it is rising at a rate much slower than the world average. Thus, whilst in 2015 we were ranked the 157th out of 188 countries in the world with a life expectancy of 62.8 years, by 2018 our life expectancy had risen to 63.5 years (an appreciation of 0.7 years over three years) but our world ranking had dropped to 158th. Today, we are ranked 159th. When it comes to immunisation against childhood diseases, in 2015 Ghana’s position was 134th with an immunisation coverage of 88% of all children below 24 months of age. By the end of 2017, we had improved significantly to 23rd in the world with 99% immunisation coverage but have since dropped to 51st with our immunisation coverage currently at 97%.
I have chosen to use these two health outcomes to draw readers’ attention to the fact that we must not be swayed by the extent of propaganda at play in the area of health.
The bottom line is that the singular reason any government invests in the health sector is aimed at improving our lot not just in isolation but in comparison to other countries in the world. If that is not achieved, it is incumbent on us to question the rationality of these health investments. This is an area many do not want us to stray into but one that we surely must.
Moving into 2020, I hope that readers will be focussing on these and comparing how much on average our governments invests per citizen in health to that of other lower-middle-income countries as well as the health outcomes obtained. This will be my focus as well and that of my team. To do this will require considerable solitude from writing for a while to ensure we can put our thoughts together.
It has been nice sharing our views on Ghana’s health sector with you this year and I look forward to continuing in the coming year. For now, my team and I are going to enjoy tranquil freedom for a few weeks. We hope to be back in the new year.
Have a Merry Christmas and stay healthy!
Edited by Winifred Awa
Featured Image Courtesy of Jonathan Brown
