By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, July 12, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has relaunched the National Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee for Health Promotion (ICC-HP), with a call on members to develop a strategy to educate people to change behaviors for better health.
The 14-member reconstituted committee would, among other functions, coordinate and harness the practice and activities of stakeholders providing health promotion services and activities to achieve consistency in messaging in the media.
The objective of the ICC is to harness and coordinate the collective resources of all stakeholders in an advisory capacity to achieve the National Health Promotion strategy for providing a sustained health service that will continue to improve the well-being of Ghanaians.
It is also to strengthen, guide and advocate health promotion implementers as well as provide a strategic interface with relevant government agencies and other relevant health-related bodies in Ghana.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of GHS, speaking at the launch, said one of the challenges the GHS needed assistance with was childhood obesity, and encouraged members of the committee to support in this regard.
He said: “The committee comes at a time where the power of misinformation has been enhanced so much that it makes our work more difficult, so our job is extremely important, and we need your assistance to ensure that we overturn some of these challenges.”
The Director-General urged members of the committee to harness the many opportunities the platform offers for effective collaboration and partnership to enhance sustainable service delivery.
“I can tell you that, the cost of educating people and re-educating people is so much and we need your resources. How we can change people to do things they have never dreamt of doing, I think we have told you all that improves our health. So, we are looking forward to working with ICC-HP,” Dr Kuma-Aboagye stated.
Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Dean, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Ghana, and Committee Chairperson, on behalf of members, expressed gratitude to the Director General of the Ghana Health Services, the Health Promotion Division, USAID, and partners for the confidence reposed in them to serve under the ICC-HP.
She said a lot was already happening but there was no coordination, everybody was doing what they liked.
“It’s our job as a committee to come up with a strategy to harmonize all the various activities that are going on so that we can use the synergies to be much better than what has been happening.
So, you see the old programs going on, you will see new programs coming up. And the idea is that all of them should be able to fit into a general strategy that we have for promoting health in the country.
“We are optimistic that the ICC-HP will work hard to leverage private sector support for health promotion, harness the necessary human and material resources to support health promotion service delivery, and sustain its work,” Prof Kaufmann stated.
The other members of the committee include Mrs Norkor Duah – Managing Director, MullenLowe Accra, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey – Country Director, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communication Programs, Mr. Kwabena Agyekum – Registrar/CEO, Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana, Mrs. Mabel Asafo – Deputy Director, HPD, GHS, Mr. Robert Amponsah – Lecturer, University of Professional Studies, Accra, Dr. Justice Yankson – Vice President, Ghana Medical Association.
The rest are Mr. Samuel Asiedu – Managing Director, AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control; Mr. Andrew Ackah – President, Advertising Association of Ghana; Ms. Melody
Darkey – National Program Coordinator, Women in Law, and Development in Africa; Ms. Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah – Head of Communications and Public Education, Food and Drugs Authority; Mr. Defoe – Representative from Association of Ghana Industries.
GNA