Members of the Universal Access to Health Care Campaign have convened a meeting to collate CSOs’ inputs into the preparation of a CSOs Health Manifesto for the 2020 general elections.
Diverse motivations for the participation of the meeting were expressed by participants. These included strengthening of primary healthcare systems in the country; implementation of the Universal Health Coverage Road map; and mental and reproductive health concerns. Participants committed to influence the forthcoming elections focusing on policy, programmes and financing for equitable health care.
Key demands for the 2020 elections brought up by representatives at the meeting included the call for a coherent PHC policy for the attainment of UHC and SDGs’ health-related goals in Ghana. Participants also stressed the need for a Free Mental Health policy. Expansion of the NHIS benefits package to include preventive health care was also a policy demand.
The meeting took place on 10th June, 2020 at the AH hotel, East Legon, Accra. It was attended by Community Based Organizations, National NGOs and some International Development Partners working in the health sector in Ghana.
The developed manifesto will be used to engage the political parties towards the 2020 general elections. Successful aspirants or elected candidates will be held accountable to the issues raised in the manifesto of which they subscribed.
The UAHCC is a national advocacy campaign made up of local and international NGOs and led by ARHR which is the hosting organization. Supported by Oxfam Ghana, the campaign has a reach of over 500 organizations working on health-related issues across all the regions of Ghana. The campaign’s main strategies include evidence generation, policy analysis, public events such as civil society mobilization, lobbying and media engagement.
