The government spent GH¢200 million more on Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) last year compared to 2019. SDG 3 which focuses on Good Health and Well-Being seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.

According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the entire budget allocated to Goal 3 for 2020 was GH¢4.3 billion, up from GH¢4.1 billion in 2019. This represents a 5 percentage-point increase over the budget allocation in 2019.

Meanwhile, Statutory Funds were the main source of funds for Goal 3 last year. The total amount raised from statutory Funds to support SDG 3 last year amounted to GH¢ 2.1 billion.

Other sources include GH¢ 50.4 million from the Government of Ghana and GH¢ 105.6 million from the ABFA. The rest are GH¢ 421.5 million from Development Partners and GH¢ 1.6 billion from the IGF.

Moreover, the MoF stated that Target 3.8 received the most funding of GH¢ 2.2 billion in 2020. The targets funded under Goal 3 include 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.c, and 3.d

National-level programs took about 95% of the total budget allocated for SDG 3 in 2020 with a total amount of GH¢ 4.1 billion. However, only a small percentage of the funds went to support activities at the various districts. According to MoF, district-level programs received an amount of GH¢ 255.2 million last year. Meanwhile, Statutory Funds were the main source of funding at the district level with an amount of GH¢224 million.

National Perspective

Furthermore, the Ministry revealed that Ghana has made great progress against several leading causes of death and diseases. According to MoF, Ghana has a well-developed healthcare system when compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It further noted that Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme is also functioning well. This provides supports to the strong healthcare system in the country.

“Life expectancy has increased dramatically while infant and maternal mortality rates have declined. The rates of HIV infections have been kept at bay, and deaths by malaria have been halved”.

Also, MoF stated that Ghana’s doctor/population and nurse/population ratios have shown significant improvements. The Ministry pointed out that Ghana has exceeded the WHO’s recommended nurse to population ratio of 1 nurse to 1,000 people for nurses in the public sector. According to the ministry, the current ratio stands at 1 nurse to 839 people.

Policy Initiatives

Over the years the government has rolled out several policies with the intent to improve the quality of care in the health system of the country. As such, MoF cited the development and launch of a 5-year National Healthcare Quality Strategy (2017-2021) as an example. According to MoF, the aim of this strategy is “to continuously improve the health and well-being of Ghanaians”. The government seeks to achieve this through the development of a better-coordinated health system. This health system, MoF said “places patients and communities at the centre of quality care”.

Furthermore, MoF stated that the Government of Ghana has developed a National New-born Strategy and Action Plan to ensure the survival of newborns. The MoF cited Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) as an example of such interventions. The Ministry explained that KMC is a low-cost but efficient technique where mothers wrap their premature babies to their chests with a piece of cloth.

Additionally, MoF pointed out that the government has launched a ‘Healthy at Two’ initiative in the Volta Region. This involves community health nurses providing support to mothers from the time they register their pregnancy until after childbirth. It encourages mothers to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour, providing newborn care, vaccination, and post-natal check-up. It also involves monitoring the growth of the child. MoF also cited Agenda 111 as another intervention that is in line with SDG 3. Agenda 111 includes the construction of 7 regional hospitals and several district hospitals and other health facilities.