By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Health, in charge of Clinicals, Dr. Rita Larsen-Reindorf, says that with less than six years until the 2030 target year, Ghana is far from achieving the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
According to her, with all the efforts in providing essential services, the country made only 21 percent improvement in the target areas from 24 percent in the year 2000 to 48 percent in 2021, thereby making attainment of the 2030 target highly doubtful.
Dr. Larsen-Reindorf has therefore appealed for collaboration among all the stakeholders, including religious organisations, to help in the national effort.
She made the call in Kumasi at the inauguration of the Medical Mission of the ‘Global Crusade with Kumuyi-Ghana’.
A team of 180 medical experts from Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and the United States will provide free medical care to members of the public.
At the inauguration of the Medical Mission, it was announced that members of the public will receive general care, dental, eye, mental health support, ENT, and surgical services at three designated Centres in Kumasi and Brofoyedru.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Health in charge of Clinicals, Dr. Rita Larsen-Reindorf, in commending the church through the ‘Global Crusade with Kumuyi-Ghana’ for the initiative, expressed doubt about Ghana’s ability to attain Universal Health Coverage by the 2030 target.
The National Overseer of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry in Ghana, Pastor Edward Duodu, explained that the medical outreach is part of the church’s intervention to show love and care to individuals and communities.
The International Coordinator of the Medical Mission, Dr. Jeremiah Ayeni, noted that the outreach is a means to disciple the world while taking care of the health needs of the people.
The four-day free medical outreach began on Sunday with a session with pregnant women, nursing mothers, and babies up to six months.
Health professionals, including midwives and senior nursing officers, took the participants through exclusive breastfeeding, proper feeding of infants, nutrition, and dental care for children and mothers.
Some of them were also fed and later given gifts of baby care.
There was also a medical team to cater for the health needs of some of the participants who had traveled from far places, such as the Western North region.
The Medical Mission is a key component of the ‘Global Crusade with Kumuyi-Ghana’, which is a world-wide evangelism to be anchored in the Ashanti regional capital of Kumasi and broadcast through various technologies to over 52 nations globally.
