Health Sector Receives $437m Boost

The country’s health sector is to benefit from a massive injection of funds, totaling, 437 million dollars from its development partners.

The money, which will be disbursed over a five-year period from 2002 to 2006 will be used in areas such as human resource development, local government reforms and their implications for the health sector. Other areas to benefit from the money include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and mental health. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering the deal was signed last Friday between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the partners. The partners include the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Department for International Development (DFID) of Britain, European Union (EU), International Development Association (IDA), and the Netherlands Government.

The sector Minister, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie signed for the government while EU ambassadors initialled for their governments. Dr. Afriyie praised the partners for their continuous support for Ghana’s health delivery system. Dr Rod Pullen, the British High Commissioner in Accra on behalf of the ambassadors, said that they are happy to be associated with the development of Ghana’s health sector. He hoped that the signing of the memorandum would further deepen and strengthen the existing co-operation between Ghana and the EU.