By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
Stakeholders in the health sector have convened in Tamale to dialogue, assess, and monitor the government’s promises on health highlighted in its electoral manifesto in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
Key stakeholders, including civil society organisations, health sector practitioners, advocacy groups, and the media, were present at the dialogue meeting. The event aimed to foster evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue to improve healthcare service delivery and ensure accountability.
The event witnessed expert presentations, breakout sessions, and consensus-building on methodologies for tracking healthcare commitments in the manifesto.
Executive Director of the STAR-Ghana Foundation, Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, emphasised the importance of collective action in tracking government commitments in the health sector. He noted that Ghana has reached a critical stage in its development, where economic crisis and extreme partisanship require a neutral, evidence-based assessment of government spending and policy implementation.
“They sold the manifestos to us as the contracts that they would sign with us when they are elected. So the elections have happened. What do we do next? Two options. One, we fold our hands and wait for the next four years. Or two, we get involved in the process to ensure that if there’s any corrections to be made as we move along, it’s done as early as possible and don’t happen only after the fact. Which is why Star Ghana and partners thought that it’s important after the engagement on the manifestos to see how we can collectively engage in the process of the implementation of the manifesto promises and other commitments that Ghana as a country has signed up to,” he explained.
A participant at the event, Dr. Yaa Nyarko Adjeso, from the Directorate of Community Relations and Outreach Programme at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, highlighted the importance of community involvement in monitoring government commitments.
She indicated, “We are having an exercise whereby we are looking at the promises of the government and looking at the indicators, whether truly those things can be achieved. And I believe that if truly what has been stated in the documents is being implemented, and with proper monitoring, I believe that as a country we’ll be able to have a better health system. Currently there are lapses here and there, but looking at the manifesto and going through, I believe that with the intention of building more facilities and making sure we have resources within the facilities in terms of staffing and other things, if this is done, then the health of the Ghanaian citizen will be improved.”
Dr. Adjeso emphasised that citizens should be watchdogs, utilise health facilities, and provide feedback to ensure improved health outcomes.
Portfolio Manager for Social Services at STAR-Ghana Foundation, Raymond Danso, outlined the strategy for monitoring government commitments in the health sector. He explained that the organisation has defined roles for monitoring health interventions, communicating observations to the government, and conducting advocacy and research to support policy implementation.
The dialogue meeting was organised at the behest of The STAR-Ghana Foundation, with funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), as part of its Inclusive Elections & Accountable Governance in Ghana Project (Phase III).
