Epidemic Preparedness Response Media Campaign: Health Emergency Fund Advocates say it imperative to establish Fund

Resource persons engaged on the epidemic preparedness fund establishment in the country has supported the advocacy campaign for Ghana to establish a fund to support the country in future in case of an outbreak of epidemics.

The Epidemic Response Advocacy Project by Send GHANA and its partners including Community Focus Foundation Ghana (CFF-GHANA) and Swiss FM with support from the Global Health Incubator (GHI) took their campaign to the Volta Region on the need to establish a Public Health Emergency Fund including its usage and management at local and national levels.

The advocacy is also to create an avenue for the public to contribute or share their thoughts on actions to be taken in support of the campaign and also to influence the local government (MMDAs) to factor epidemic preparedness including financing when preparing  budgets of the local Assemblies.

In a discussion on Epidemic Preparedness Response on Ho based Swiss 93.7 FM on Monday, March 27, 2023, resource persons including the Budget Officer of the Ho Municipal Assembly, and officials from the Ho Municipal Health Directorate (HMHD) shared their thoughts on the urgent need for the establishment of the Health Emergency Fund (HEF) as a mitigation measure and response to outbreaks of epidemics in Ghana

The discussants were emphatic that it’s now more imperative for such a fund to be established without any further delay. They noted that the lessons learnt from the devastating COVID-19 should be enough for government’s prioritization of the establishment of the HEF.

Feedbacks from the listening public, also supported the advocacy for the setting up of the National Health Emergency Fund.  However, there have been some fears about  accountability of the proposed fund. Some contributors during the phone-in session sited the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 fund as an example.

They indicated the need for financial control mechanisms to be put in place to ensure accountability at all levels of disbursement of the said fund when established to serve its intended purpose.

Despite their fears, they are however optimistic that such a fund will contribute meaningfully  Ghana’s quest to contributing to quality healthcare delivery especially in the area of public health.

They added their voices to the advocacy and pledged their continuous support for positive  project outcomes with strong institutions

It could be recalled that in two years, Ghana has experienced an assortment of disease outbreak such as Monkey pox, cholera, influenza, meningitis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This has led to morbidity and mortality, deteriorating livelihoods of individuals and households, and collapse of businesses with its debilitating effects on the Ghanaian economy.

However adequate preparedness for epidemics required earmarking a separate and dedicated source of funding to finance disease outbreak at both the national and district levels.

Hence, countries were advised to prepare adequately in readiness for future outbreaks to reduce impact on the economy and human fatalities for that matter countries like Ghana must hasten the development of a health security plan and the establishment of a public health emergency fund in readiness for pandemics to support the production of vaccines locally, surveillance, health infrastructure, risk communication and human resource.

By Evans Attah Akangla, Ho