Non-State Actors for Health (NSA) Ghana, which is pushing for increased support to the Global Fund has urged the government to without delay, contribute to the fund to fight against HIV, TB, and Malaria.
In an unprecedented show of global solidarity, donors at the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment Conference pledged US$14.02 billion for the next three years – the largest amount ever raised for a multilateral health organization, and the largest amount by the Global Fund.
The funds will help save 16 million lives and end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria by 2030.
The group in a statement disappointed at Ghana’s inability to make any contribution to the fund despite receiving grants from them to manage its disease burden.
“As we take a close look at the list of countries that have pledged, one cannot help but notice a number of African counties that would not come close to where Ghana is in terms of economical growth and more importantly having been predicted to be the fastest-growing economy in 2019 by the IMF.”
“It is very disturbing and extremely disappointing and to some extent a disgrace that Ghana is not on this list. More so as it is obvious that Ghana will most certainly put in a call for proposal for this same fund that it did not contribute towards,” it stated.
The group to this end urged the government to support the final push to achieve epidemic control of HIV, TB, and Malaria now or face the potential consequences of the entire world losing trust in Ghana or seeing Ghana as an opportunist and the country’s complete loss to donor support.
According to the NSA, the burden of millions of men, women, and children within the next decade being disabled as a consequence of HIV, TB, and Malaria will hang on the country should Ghana fail to contribute to the Global Fund.
“Mr President, there is still an opportunity for Ghana to pledge its support. Be in solidarity with the world and contribute to the efforts of an important course that was started by a Ghanaian and let us collectively finish the job,” they advised.
NSA-Ghana is made up of a group of Civil Society and non-governmental organizations in the health sector to help address the challenges in some priority areas such as universal health coverage and also forges stronger partnerships to influence change in policy and advocate for accountable governance in Ghana’s health system.