Ghana CSOs and media orientation workshop

Posted on 23 April 2009

The Ghana MeTA Secretariat organised an orientation workshop for the members of the press, Ghana and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to raise awareness of the role that both stakeholders can contribute to the success of MeTA in Ghana. The workshop is one of the approaches being implemented in strengthening the commitment to work in a multi-stakeholder process to improve access to essential medicines in Ghana.

Ghana launched MeTA successfully in November 2008. More than one third of Ghanaians do not have access to essential medicines. All the stakeholders involved in the process saw the relevance of a combined effort towards higher transparency and accountability in their work to make medicines accessible and safe for those who need them.

Setting the context of the workshop, Dr Alex Dodoo, the co-chair of MeTA Ghana explained to the audience what MeTA is about and the challenges ahead, in particular the complexities of the medicines supply chain. “Medicine supply is almost like a mystery in all countries”, he said.  However complex the system, the success of MeTA in Ghana and the other six countries participating in MeTA will depend highly on the commitment of the multi-stakeholder approach by all the involved partners.

Charles Allotey, of Health Access Network and CSO representative, emphasised the role and commitment of CSOs to the MeTA process and the role of embracing access of essential medicines in Ghana; “We need a well-organised and coordinated team of CSOs to look at access to essential medicines.” He emphasised that working together with the other stakeholders will empower the CSOs and build capacity in the field of access to medicines to support disclosure and accountability in the medicine supply chain, promote the use of information to improve consumer access to essential medicine and improve dialogue with public and private sectors.

Using an example of the National Health Insurance Services (NHIS) in Ghana, Dr Daniel Kojo Arhinful, explained the convergence of the NHIS and MeTA, and what role the CSOs and the media can play in creating awareness in the population both about the promotion of medicines and their human rights. He also urged the CSOs and the media to pursue continuous knowledge on issues of access to medicines to influence activities. In this way public expectations of their traditional role as watch dogs of public good are met.

As MeTA stakeholders, the CSOs and the media were reminded of the responsibility that they hold in the public on the practical and rational use of medicines information. Speaking on behalf of the media fraternity, Edmund Kofi Yeboah, a journalist with the Graphic Communications Group, urged support to the media personalities who are passionate about health issues, in particular access to essential medicines, in accessing information and being able to pass it to the public. He also stressed that more training would provide a good platform to journalists as these issues are still so new to many.

Presentations:

Civil Society Organiztion (CSO) and MeTA by Charles Allotey
Governance transparency and accountability - role of civil society; MeTA objectives and approaches by Dr Daniel Kojo Arhinful
Procurement supply chain in Ghana - Charles Allotey
Skills - Interpreting data, understanding policy responses, communicating to the public/patient by Kweku Rockson / Dr Alex Dodoo
Ethical practice and rational use by Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt
Understanding access to medicines - Edith Andrews
Media and health reporting - Yaa Oforiwah Asare-Peasah
Medicine financing - NHIS and other financing options by Dr Daniel Kojo Arhinful