The Ghanaian Ministry of Health (MoH) has developed a National Health Financing Strategy to help address the funding gaps, boost investment and improve health outcomes in Ghana.

The strategy which was issued in a statement by the Communications Officer of the WHO, Ghana office, Ibrahim Suhuyini Sayibu, also seeks to address the continued health financing, servicing delivery and challenges.

It is also an attempt to complement existing efforts towards Universal Health Coverage attainment in Ghana.

The strategy is being funded by the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (UNMPTF) through the technical leadership of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The statement reads that “Health financing has been identified as the key to unlocking progress towards the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as enshrined in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, especially Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three”.

According to the MoH, between the years 2015 and 2019, external assistance for health had decreased tremendously as a share of total health spending, falling from 25% to 11%.

The Head of Planning & Budget Unit, MoH and the Lead Coordinator of the review of the Health Financing Strategy, Mr Kwakye Kontor noted that “Ghana has taken very significant steps towards achieving the UHC and we recognised that financing our health ambitions cannot be realised without an effective strategy in place”.