African Health supports flood victims

A team from African Health Now (AHN), a non-profit organization, which promotes sustainable primary health care among women, children and families in Sub-Saharan African, on Saturday, toured some flood affected areas in Accra, in the June 3^rd flooding of some suburbs of Accra, to commiserate and support the victims.

The team lead by Catherine Ekar, Treasurer of the AHN, first stopped at Ayidiki near Alajo, which was totally submerged under the flood water that overflowed the banks of the Alajo main drain. The team distributed over 400 bags of sachet water and toiletries to the victims to help alleviate their plight.  

The over a thousand perplexed victims, who received the support, were still counting their loss after the floods. They also narrated how the flood water, which they least expected visited them on that fateful Wednesday.

Among items destroyed were mostly of their personal effects, educational materials, electrical gadgets and others running into several millions of cedis.

Ms. Ekar, who together with the team interacted and assessed the extent of damage caused by the floods to the households, stated that her organisation will look for more assistance to support them.

Overwhelm by the loss of lives, properties and valuables, Catherine stressed the need for other organization to join the relief efforts, observing that government alone cannot attend to all the needs of the victims.   

With the recession of the flood-water 10-days after the floods, the victims lamented about the extent of destruction it caused their households, businesses and their general welfare. And although some of them are picking up the pieces to rebuild, in anticipation of help from the authorities and other benevolent organization, it is clear that they are in dire need of a lifeline.

For instance, Madam Vida Owusu who escaped from her collapsed building shared her ordeal on having to sleep on the bare-cold floor because she lost her bed and virtually all belongings. 

It was clear from the tour of her room that apart from a table, cabinet, chairs and some few utensils, Madam Owusu’s room was virtually empty.

Another victim, Alice Afari, who lives in the neigbourhood of the Madam Owusu, described how her room was also emptied by the floods.                 

With hundreds of households affected in the area, the thousands of victims, who were directly and indirectly affected, are still counting their lost and noted with concern that they were yet to receive support from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and thus thanked AHN for their efforts to even visit them.

The team also made brief stops at Adawna area and commiserated with the victims there to.

Although NADMO is reported doing its bid to attend to the victims, there are indication more efforts are needed to salvage the situation. Already, health experts have warned that there could an imminent outbreak of cholera and other disease in the flood affected areas if nothing was done to help the victims.

   

Caritas Ghana to consolidate successes

                                                     *Participants at the review meeting.

The Department of Human Development at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) with the various Catholic Diocesan Development Offices (DDO) throughout Ghana, which forms Caritas Ghana are poised to consolidate the success of the Catholic Church’s mission of charity in the country.  

With support from Misereor and a Change Management Consultant, the capacity development for the DDOs and efforts made thereof to improve the Church’s charity work in the country is steadily improving, as more Diocesan Development offices are streamlining their programmes and systems to infuse progressive changes in their operation.

This came up during the DDO Capacity Development Review Meeting in Accra on recently, which attracted DDOs from all the 20 Arch/Dioceses in the country and other international partners.   

Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary, Department for Human Development (DHD) at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS), said the change process which is to help improve the Church’s development efforts was not just about supporting the DDOs but to also impact on DHD.

He said a lot of work has been done and their advocacy and visibility has improved both at the local and international policy spaces, as well as strengthened their membership in the global Church charity work (Caritas Internationalis), but stressed that effective monitoring and evaluation was helping tract the success of the programme, which was in its first year.

As part of the review, the Dioceses were required to give feedbacks on their achievement and challenges, and to identify the gaps that still exist in their capacities as well as discuss with partners the next follow up steps.

So far, Mr. Akologo stated that the progress of the programme was positive, in view of set targets.

“We have made significant inroads with fifty per cent of the Dioceses taking concrete steps to reform their Diocesan offices among others and more than 15 Dioceses are now doing follow up meetings to improve on their development efforts,” he said.

He noted that the work was revealing new gaps but assured that they would address them.

Most Rev. Gabriel A. Mante, Bishop of Jasikan and Episcopal Chair for Human Development, in an address noted the essence of change, stressing that “change is an inevitable condition and a process necessary for every human being and organization”.

“We Ghanaians want change of structures, change of political leaders and other changes, but we ourselves never change” said the Bishop, who bemoaned our attitude of not willing to change to ensure the holistic development of Ghana.

He said “every successful and positive change begins and ends with individual person, because of the strong influence personal attitudes have on accepting or adjusting to change,” and entreated Ghanaians to reflect on their lives and endeavour to change.

Noting that change requires a catalyst, Bishop Mante said change efforts required accompaniment, adding that leadership or political support was essential for sustaining any change process.

He emphasized that “even though change processes are ongoing, Dioceses can learn from the change process and adapt to plans to initiate development,” adding that it was necessary and important to examine, evaluate and assess the change efforts the DDOs have made over the years.             

In an overview, Mr. Edward Aloysius Prah, the Management Consultant handling the project,   said the objectives of the whole programme was to strengthen the capacities of the DDOs to carry out their function of planning and implementing relevant projects and to do the works they were set up to do, in line with general ongoing changes at the National Catholic Secretariat.

Mr. Prah acknowledged that some progress was made in the project, but said a lot more could have been done, entreating the DDOs to attach more urgency to achieving the objectives of the project.    

He said there was need to appreciate the new trends of the Church’s approach to development and public policy engagement in order to ensure holistic development, and urged the DDOs to deepen their understanding in development. “Understanding ultimately translates in an attitude that improves on overall mission of the Church in development,” he added.            

‘New Consciousness for inclusion’

-vital for achieving Post 2015 Agenda

With the on-going debate on the successor to the Millennium Development Goals, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Bassey, National Director of Caritas Nigeria, says there was the need for a new consciousness for the inclusion of all to ensure the success of the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

For this to happen, he said “Lifestyles have to change. Resources have to be freed for equitable service,” stressing that we cannot go on living the way we have been living. “There has to be a new consciousness for inclusion and for fighting structures of inequality”.

Fr. Bassey was speaking in Accra on The role of the Church in the implementation of the Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, at the Second Country Forum of Catholic Development Organisations in Ghana.

He highlighted the need for effective collaboration between the Church, other civil society organisation and the state at all levels, and urged the Church not to see the government as an enemy, and should be careful not to dirty herself in the muddy waters of corruption when engaging with the state.

“The church should raise funds to support development progrrammes” said Fr. Bassey, who also entreated her to develop a data base to showcase the Church’s contribution to development in the country, adding that there was the need for policy coordination in the Church’s institutions.

The two-day Forum on theme: ‘Responding to challenges and opportunities of the Post 2015 Development Agenda-Role of Catholic Development Organisation,’ was organized by the Department of Human Development (Caritas Ghana) at the National Catholic Secretariat; the Marshallan Relief and Development Service (MAREDES) and the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in Ghana.

The Executive Secretary for Caritas Ghana, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, in a statement said the Forum seeks to increase awareness and participation of Catholic Development Agencies in the on-going processes towards a new global development agenda and also influence the remaining process of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

He said the forum also creates a platform for Government to update its participation in the Post 2015 Development Agenda negotiations and how it will likely influence national development.

       

Most Rev. Gabriel A. Mante,  Bishop of Jasikan and Episcopal Chairman for Caritas Ghana, in a welcome address expressed delight at the effort to institutionalize the annual Forum as a means of sharing knowledge and coordinate efforts in development practice.

He commended the organizers for their foresight and proactive approach to engage in the new global development policy with the universal church, urging the participant to seriously consider issues on peace promotion, environmental protection, promoting food security, protecting the poor and vulnerable in our society, as well as addressing the sanitation menace in our country and finding ways to ensure responsiveness in governance.       

Mrs. Christine Okae Asare, of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and focal person on the Post 2015 Agenda said the beauty of the SDGs was that it has 17 goals with 169 targets, but noted that the biggest challenge has to do with monitoring the targets.

She said Government will soon roll up a long term development plan for the country from 2016 to 2056 after the Shared Growth and Development Agenda expires in 2017, adding that the long term national plan was in line with the African Union agenda.

She noted that it was very important to involve the citizenry in the development planning, and implementation processes, adding that there was the need to create partnership between to Government and all stakeholders to ensure the success of development programmes.

Mrs. Dadiari Chikwengo, Coordinator of the Post 2015 Working Group of Caritas Internationalis, who chaired the function, underscored the need for effective coordination of efforts to build synergies to enhance the success of the SDGs.

She said the Church should ensure that institutions worked and delivered on their mandate, noting that when we work together, we can achieve more.

It is expected that the forum will also agree on preliminary priority areas of the SDGs and develop strategies to engage in the implementation and monitoring of success in Ghana in a more structured and coordinated manner.     

  

The forum sponsored by Misereor, Germany, MAREDES, CRS in Ghana, the International Centre for Advocacy and Social Research (ICASOR), Caritas Africa and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference was attended by over 20 Diocesan Development Officers from all Dioceses in Ghana, and Catholic Development Partners from Germany, England and USA.

Others are Caritas Member Organisations from Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and representatives of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Ghana Immigration Service.         

      

Police Church crowned champions

A 15-man contingent of the Police Interdenominational Church at 37, put up a breathtaking performance to emerged champions of the eighth edition of the Save the Last Dance 4 Jesus last Saturday.

Dressed in their all sea blue and white uniform, which made them looked like serious young police cadet on parade, the dance group won, after a spirited show, displaying creativity, confidence, energy and dynamism in an eight-minute beautiful choreograph to beat contenders from over 15 churches at the programme held at the Assemblies of God Church auditorium at Roman Ridge, Accra.  

The programme organised by the Youth Link Organisation in conjunction with the Ebenezer Methodist Church at Madina, winners of the seventh edition of the show, was for the Sunday School or Children Service Ministry Pupil of the various churches in Accra, below 15years, aimed at mobilising funds to support less privileged children in society.

The Action Faith Ministry and the Immanuel Presbyterian Churches at Madina took the first and second runner up spots respectively, while the well-behaved church trophy went to International Gospel Church Faith Temple.      

“The participant for the Church were just splendid and excellent”, says Mr. Aristedes Hargoe, a Judge at the programme, who added that wining teams’ creativity and composure on stage were outstanding.

In an excited mood Master Samuel Tetteh-Mensah, leader of the Police Church winning group, recounts how hard work and teamwork, helped them win the competition.

Similarly, Prince Kwabena Antwi, the Sunday School teacher of the winning group, stated that their team gave their best to win, and commended organisers of the programme, saying that such shows helped to actively engage the children and keep them at Church.    

In a congratulatory note, Mr. Kakra Opoku-Agyakwa, Executive Secretary of the Youth Link Ghana, commended the participants of the Police Interdenominational Church for staging such a splendid show to emerge as champions, adding that in all their seven appearance at the show, this was the first time they came very close and won.

Earlier he said the programme was to entertain themselves by dancing for Jesus, networking and raising funds to support the underprivileged in society. Thus he said the programme was to help last year’s winners, the Ebenezer Methodist Church undertake their project of constructing a poultry facility for the Mampong School for the Blind, in the Eastern Region.

The Very Rev. John Hammond, Superintendent Minister of the Ebenezer Methodist Church, lauded the ideals of the programme, which he noted offered an opportunity for the children to support each other to bring joy to the less privileged ones.

Mr. Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, in a brief remarked also commended organisers for their foresight and the impact they were helping children make in the society, and urged children to led exemplary lives to bring Christ’s light to all.

In attendance were the Humble Stars troupe which staged a superb gymnastic dance choreograph at the function.

 *Master Tetteh-Mensah raising the trophy while the group took the victory salute.

‘Make SDGs transformative’- World leaders charged

The Holy See’s Permanent Observer at the United Nation, Most Rev. Bernardito Auza, has called on world leaders to make every effort to mobilise funds at the private and public and at national and international levels to ensure the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The Archbishop, who expressed confidence that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), could be transformative to build on the legacies of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expired this year, noted that increased investments, even in the smallest amounts, will help provide additional capacities to deliver basic services to the poorest and most vulnerable communities.

He therefore entreated world leaders and all stakeholders to work together to support and improve on lives, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Archbishop Auza, made these statement at the UN during a recent interactive dialogue of Intergovernmental Negotiations and Major Groups on the Joint Session on the Post-2015 development agenda on the Relationship between Financing for Development and the Post-2015 Development in New York.

The Apostolic Nuncio also reiterated the need to learn from the experience with the MDGs, especially in the promotion of effective means of implementation, which he noted were essential to execute the entire Post-2015 agenda and achieving sustainable development in the world.

“It is important that each country, in line with its own priorities and capacities, exerts the greatest efforts to fulfill and implement the SDGs while helping to support other countries with same achievement” the Nuncio noted.

He stressed the need to create an enabling environment for development through the strengthening of global partnership, which he hoped should provide increased and adequate support means of implementation.

            

In his intervention at the meeting, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of the Department of Human Development at the National Catholic Secretariat, Accra, who spoke on behalf of Caritas Internationlis at the session, welcome efforts towards matching the Finance for Development (FfD) with ambitions to the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

He reechoed Caritas Internationalis’ expectation to the conclusion and agreements at the upcoming third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July, and called for openness, participation, and convergence with the Post 2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations.

He urged the FfD to look beyond the current model of Development Cooperation with courage and boldness to confront its challenges and limitations, adding that the outcome of the July FfD meeting “will be important only if it builds on and improves upon previous international agreements on development financing”.

Mr. Akologo, argued that developing countries needed support and commitment to protect, safeguard and retain their local resources to implement Post-2015 Development Agenda, calling for the urgent need to halt illicit financial flows from these countries.

The Executive Secretary also entreated World Leaders to respect the principles of the Busan Compact, UN principles on Sustainable Development and incorporate them into the framework for all Actor and Sources in development financing for the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

He noted that the selective application and lack of citizens’ control in the current accountability frameworks for development at all levels, were great weaknesses in the delivery of development outcomes and posited that Global Accountability Mechanism was possible within the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities.          

He proposed a robust, comprehensive and accessible Global Accountability Mechanism as part of the Means of Implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, adding that periodic reviews of progress towards benchmarks, performance standards and measures to address failings were indispensable to the implementation process.

Mr. Akologo reiterated that global peace, good governance and citizens’ agency were essential pre-conditions for the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, noting that the greatest need of the youth today is hope and recognition of their perspectives for the future.

The meeting according to development analyst was the second and most critical phase of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which seeks to tackle new financing formula for development and prepare the final Post-2015 Development Agenda draft for the UN Head of States Submit in September 2015.   

NHIS owes CHAG facilities GH¢ 80 million

The indebtedness of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to Health Facilities under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facilities to over GH¢ 80 million in the past eight months is seriously affecting the delivery of quality health service in the country.

Mr. Peter Yeboah, Executive Director of CHAG said the indebtedness of NHIS was highly unacceptable and a breach of the social contract between the Scheme and service providers.

Lamenting on the situation, Mr. Yeboah in an interview stated that delays in payment for services rendered by the health facilities were having adverse effects on the institutions.

“Our suppliers are unwilling to supply us with essential consumables and medicines, our equipment are breaking down due to inadequate funds for repairs/maintenance, cost of fueling the power plants for surgical and medical services has become unbearable amidst the national power crises, staff motivation allowances have not been paid for moments, life-saving infrastructures are deteriorating”, he stated, adding that managing the health of Ghanaians under such crises situation is an impossible duty!

Describing the current state of the scheme as unsustainable, Mr. Yeboah called on government to immediately settle the debt it owes the facilities to help Ghanaians access quality health care.

He said even though CHAG sees NHIS as an important social protection service and that they have a moral right to ensure the survival and growth of the NHIS because CHAG pioneered and piloted the Health Insurance Scheme in the country, stressing that as service providers “we do not intend to be victims of the situation”.   

Mr. Yeboah observed that the state of the NHIS, its design , implementation, and the expectation from clients were unsustainable and suggested the creation of an alternative national health insurance scheme that will complement and supplement the current one.

“With the revelation that NHIS has inadequate resources to even pay its debt means there was something fundamentally wrong with the scheme,” he added.

The Executive Director disclosed that CHAG in the short term will continue to impress on government to pay the debt the Scheme owes the facilities and also initiate a national dialogue to discuss sustainable ways of funding a National Health Insurance Scheme in the long term as well as relook at the premium, benefit packages and issues associated with funding Public Health in the country.

He explained that the unintended effects of the operationalisation of the NHIS has led clients and many stakeholders to develop a mindset that healthcare provision was free, making many Ghanaians unprepared to pay for health care services.

Another unintended effect, he added was that public health-disease prevention and health promotion- which should have been the cornerstone of any health system has been submerged under the NHIS, which rather incentivizes disease treatment.

“Health Providers now see any patient as money making tool, thus raising ethical/moral imperatives in the value of human health,” he added and asked who or how do we fund public health if the NHIS is not funding it?

Mr. Yeboah, reiterating the adverse effects the operationalisation of the NHIS has on the demand and supply of healthcare, challenged Ghanaians to debate and discuss the viability and sustainability NHIS in providing equitable safety nets for the rich, middle class, and the poor.

Commenting on the proposal for a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to sustain the health care provision if nothing was done to address the inherent challenges, Mr. Yeboah debunked the accusation that PPP was the reintroduction of Cash and Carry system.

He explained that patients with the NHIS Cards will still be served under the PPP arrangements but they will be directed to procure their medicines at designated places within the health facilities.

He described the PPP as an interim distress action  meant to highlight the crises situation of the NHIS, and safeguard the health of Ghanaians in the midst of the worsening financial conditions of Health Service Providers that is affecting the availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptable of service delivery in the country.

Although, the finance Minister Seth Terkper, states that all areas owed the Scheme has been paid, there are reports that there is still a GH¢ 400 million funding gap, which if not settled could worsen the NHIS which analyst say is in crisis. Indeed there is an urgent need to look at the sustainability of the Scheme to ensure the continuous provision of quality healthcare under the Scheme.        

Catholic Mutual Health Insurance in the offing

The National Catholic Health Services (NCHS) and some stakeholders are discussing the possibility of setting up an alternative Mutual Health Insurance to help people access quality healthcare in the country.

This move comes in the wake of challenges in sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as a result of the National Health Insurance Authority’s delay in repaying health facilities for services rendered to clients of the scheme for the past eight months, which is threating the survival of many of these facilities.

The mutual scheme idea was hinted at a recent meeting between Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, Bishop of Koforidua and Bishop in-charge for Health with Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) Representative on the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) Board in Accra.

Dr. Agatha Bonney, member of the Board, argued for the establishment of the alternative Health Scheme, and expressed disappointment in government for taking the mission health facilities for granted, because of their Christian obligation to cater for the sick and bring Christ’s healing to them no matter the circumstance.

With NHIA’s delay in settling their indebtedness to the facilities, she stated that CHAG cannot watch their facilities collapsed and emphatically stressed that “we (Ghanaians) cannot toil with the health of the people. We cannot wait and see things fall apart. We as Christians must work and find alternative ways to sustain the health of our people”.

Dr. Kwabena Adu Poku, Board Chairman of CHAG, observed that apart from the delays in paying health facilities for servicing rendered to subscribers of the NHIS worsening; the NHIA was yet to honour issues agreed upon with the Minister of Health which necessitated the withdrawal of services to clients of NHIS last year.

He said CHAG was studying alternate financing mechanism to the NHIS.        

Even with this considerations, Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum, indicated the readiness of CHAG to continue engaging the NHIA to redeem their indebtedness to help ensure the smooth running of the health facilities.

He commended the Board members for their efforts at promoting the quality health delivery and thanked them for availing their professional expertise at no cost for the growth of CHAG.

Dr. Adu Poku and other members of the Board acknowledged the effective management some health facilities even with scares resources but called on other CHAG member institutions to plug loopholes that leaked the finances of their facilities and ensure they run well.

They mentioned the appointment of Mr. Peter Kwame Yeboah, the former Director for Health at the Goaso Diocese, as the new Executive Secretary of CHAG in March. He replaces Dr. Gilbert Buckle, now Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Among other issues discussed were the works on the Charter of CHAG, guidelines to ensure that all institutions associated with the Trust were owned by established Churches as well as discussion to find sustainable ways of running CHAG.

The Board also informed the Bishop about efforts made to acquire and develop a 50 acre land at Dodowa for CHAG.

It will be recalled that an orientation programme for the Bishops’ Conference representatives on the CHAG Board, in March 2014 charged members to promote the values and interest of the Church on the Board among other things. 

 

                        *Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum with members of the Board at the meeting