Sharon Cannaby, April 2013. This report provides an oversight into some of the key issues facing the health sector in Ghana and describes the role professionally qualified accountants can play in achieving the country’s health goals.
The Ghanaian government’s national vision is to transform Ghana into a middle-income country by 2015. This is an ambitious target for a country where over a quarter of the population live in poverty, where disease is rife and where around half of the population have no access to basic services such as safe water or improved sanitation; along with ample resources it will require strong commitment and vision.
Ghana’s National Health Policy, entitled ‘Creating Wealth through Health’ (MOH 2007), was designed to support realisation of the national vision. The policy recognises that ill health is both a cause and a consequence of poverty and acknowledges the impact that environmental factors have on health. It proposes a sector-wide approach to improving the health of the population and to reducing inequalities of access, based on both preventative and curative care. The health policy is being executed through a series of Health Service Medium Term Development Plans (HSMTDPs) and Programmes of Work (POW).
A greater insight into some of the many issues affecting health policy and the provision of health care in Ghana was provided at a health conference organised recently by ACCA in Accra. The event gave politicians, health policymakers and senior ACCA members employed in the field of healthcare the opportunity to discuss some of the key health challenges facing Ghana, to debate potential solutions and then to consider the ways in which ACCA accountants can support the government in achieving its goal of creating a healthier population.