United States, Republic of Korea, Japan sign MoU with Health Ministry

By Jesse Ampah Owusu

Accra, July 26, GNA – The Ambassadors of the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to Ghana, have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation ( MOC) with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to support the country’s universal health coverage goal.

The MOC seeks to improve primary health care and delivery as well as strengthen global health security defences in Ghana against current and future pandemic threats.

The signing of the memorandum was held at the premises of the Ministry of Health.

The three countries will be rolling out their support through their state agencies in the country, namely the United States Agency for International Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

Madam Tina Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, Deputy Minister of Health, said the partnership was a crucial step for global health security and primary healthcare advancement for Ghana.

She said it would invigorate their commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality maternal, newborn and child health, family planning, nutrition, social protection, and infectious disease services for Ghanaians.

She added that the project interventions would be carried out in the Upper West, Upper East, North East, Savannah, and Northern regions.

Mrs Mensah said the partnership had three main objectives, saying, the first was to improve access to primary health care through community and facility health promotion, better quality of care at health facilities, and stronger referral systems.

She said they also aimed to enhance health system governance through improved regional and district health management teams and increased community involvement.”

“Lastly, we will strive for increased efficiency of development partner resources through joint coordination and collaboration meetings among the Government of Ghana, USAID, JICA, and KOICA,” she added.

Mr Lim Jung-Taek, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ghana, said the partnership underscored their collective determination to safeguard the health and well-being of fellow human beings, transcending borders and nationalities.

“We are committed to supporting Ghana in its efforts to revitalize essential health services that may have suffered setbacks during these difficult times.”

“No citizen should be left behind in the pursuit of better health outcomes, and together, we will ensure that Ghana’s progress towards UH continues unabated,” he added.

GNA