Allocate five per cent of health budget to NCD prevention, control-Alliance

Accra. Dec. 24, GNA – Mr Labram Musah, the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance (GhNCDA), has called on the government to allocate, at least, five per cent of the health budget for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

He said this would help in undertaking planned activities in 2022, including the conduct of a study on alcohol impact on socio-economic development and support the implementation of the National NCDs Policy.

It would also assist in the drafting and advocating for the finalization of the National Alcohol Regulations and a further research on NCDs to advance the implementation of policies.

Mr Musah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on a study conducted by the Alliance last year on the status of NCDs within the context of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana.

He said the objectives of the study was to understand the healthcare needs, priorities and concerns of people living with NCDs within the context of UHC; explore the views of healthcare providers on their experiences of providing care to people living with NCDs.

Others were to explore the perspectives of CSOs, researchers, and policymakers on Ghana’s UHC policy framework and the context of NCDs and make recommendations for policy action.

Mr Musah said a “Situational Analysis Report” on the study indicated that while the burden of the NCDs conditions was increasing in Ghana, efforts aimed at minimizing the impact have been very low.

The coordinator mentioned some of the recommendations made in the report as financial assistance to people living with NCDs by both the State and non-state actors while the government pays NHIS claims on time for NCD patients to access free healthcare.

Others were people living with NCDs and local communities should have a seat at the policy and decision-making table to inform and hold institutions/government accountable; formulate and or implement policies to effectively regulate all harmful products (tobacco, alcohol, sugar drinks).

The rest is putting in place mechanisms for early diagnosis, appropriate and efficient referral, and long-term care for NCDs and health systems in Ghana to deal with the burden of NCDs and other chronic and acute conditions.

Mr Musah said health was foundational to progress across all the Sustainable Development Goals and UHC was vital for an effective response to NCDs and the COVID-19 pandemic and an equitable global recovery, so can all get better faster, together.

He pointed out that the UHC 2021 has reminded Ghanaians that health is an investment, not a cost, but unfortunately, there was inadequate investment in NCDs in Ghana, which had led to the increase of the out-of-pocket payments for people living with the diseases.

The rest is putting in place mechanisms for early diagnosis, appropriate and efficient referral, and long-term care for NCDs and health systems in Ghana to deal with the burden of NCDs and other chronic and acute conditions.
GNA