People for Health P4H project begins

A project dubbed: “People for Health (P4H),” is ensuring improved access to quality health service delivery for citizens in 25 districts selected from five regions.

The P4H project seeks to strengthen organisational and institutional capacities of government and civil society organisations (CSOs) for mutual accountability in health, HIV, water and sanitation, and nutrition policy formulation and implementation.

It is a five-year project being implemented by a consortium of three organisations led by SEND-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with Penplusbytes another NGO and the Ghana News Agency as members, and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The target regions include Greater Accra, Eastern, Northern and Volta while the districts include Karaga, Central Gonja and Yendi Municipality.

Mr Siapha Kamara, Chief of Party of the P4H Project, who made a presentation on the project at an inception meeting in Tamale, said the project seeks to leverage opportunities for change, building on consortium members’ existing good relations with local governments, District Health Management Teams and the USAID ongoing initiatives in the health sector.

The meeting, attended by representatives from CSOs, Ghana Health Service (GHS), district assemblies and the media, was to introduce stakeholders to the project and seek their support for its successful implementation to achieve the expected results.

Mr Kamara said consortium members would work to increase citizens’ voices to demand for and champion improved access to quality health services.

He said: “The consortium’s emphasis on social accountability will increase CSO leadership, mobilise communities and key populations to demand quality delivery of health programmes, promote accountability in the use of health resources and simultaneously maximise the responsiveness of health service providers”

He said the project would improve inclusiveness and equity, helping to make the country a model for a health system which served the people according to their needs.

Dr Jacob Mahama, Northern Regional Director of GHS, who was represented at the meeting, said the project was in line with GHS’ policy directions assuring of GHS’ commitment to partner with consortium members to ensure the success of the project.