The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has held discussions with a delegation from the Global Fund on measures to improve the availability of essential health commodities and strengthen programmes addressing HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in Ghana.
The delegation, led by the Head of the Global Fund’s Grant Management Division, Mark Eldon Edington, engaged the Minister on issues including Ghana’s co-financing commitments, procurement processes and the clearance of health commodities at the country’s ports.
Mr Akandoh expressed appreciation to the Global Fund for its continued support to Ghana, while stressing the need for donor-funded programmes to be better aligned with government priorities, particularly the Free Primary Healthcare initiative.
On Ghana’s co-financing obligations under the Global Fund’s seventh grant cycle (GC7), the Minister said the country had made significant progress, with approximately US$38.5 million, representing 85 per cent of its US$45 million commitment, already committed.
He added that the Ministry was pursuing measures to establish a dedicated budget line for selected health programmes as part of efforts to strengthen sustainable domestic financing.
Mr Edington welcomed the progress but raised concerns over stock-outs of essential commodities, inefficiencies in procurement and delays in clearing health supplies at the ports.
He called for both immediate and long-term interventions to address the challenges and prevent similar disruptions in the future.
In response, Mr Akandoh said the Ministry had introduced measures to accelerate the clearance of health commodities.
These include completing shipping documentation ahead of the arrival of consignments and increasing competition among clearing agents.
The Minister assured the Global Fund delegation that the government remained committed to resolving bottlenecks in the supply chain and ensuring the timely availability of essential health commodities to support quality healthcare delivery.
