We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, deem it an obligation to ask the Government of Ghana to expedite action on establishing a Public Health Emergency Fund.

Such a Fund would be critical in helping increase resilience in Ghana’s health system to prepare and respond with urgency to current public health risks and future epidemics and pandemics.

Responding too late to disease outbreaks costs lives and affects economic growth, national security, and the well-being of people. In developing economies such as Ghana, the poorest and most vulnerable people are the most affected. The necessity of our call stems from the regular outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis, cholera, influenza, and yellow fever in some parts of Ghana. More importantly, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and its ravaging impacts underscore the need to increase investment in Ghana’s public health systems. We contend that future epidemics are inevitable. Therefore, the importance of long-term investment in health security systems and preparedness to effectively deal with public health emergencies cannot be overestimated.

A strong political will and sustained financial commitment are key to realizing this. We strongly urge the government to set up a functioning Public Health Emergency Fund and lend our support. Our call is even more necessary because:

• Article 34 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees the right of all persons living in Ghana to good health.
• Article 36 (10) of the same Constitution makes it mandatory for the State to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of all persons in employment.
• Ghana signed the Abuja Declaration to allocate at least 15% of its total expenditure to the health sector. More than twenty years after, the country struggles to meet half of the target.
• The International Health Regulations (2005) require that all countries have financing available to prepare for and respond timely to epidemics.
• There is no dedicated funding for epidemic preparedness and response in Ghana, and this puts the country at high risk.
• Ghana’s National Action Plan for Health Security, which is meant to address the health security gaps, remains woefully underfunded and implementation has long been a challenge.
• Due to funding gaps, there are challenges with surveillance and response systems intended to help prevent infectious disease outbreaks and ensure a rapid response and effective case management at the local levels.
• Between 1997 and April 2021, cholera, meningitis, and influenza killed over 2551 Ghanaians and rendered many more sick[1]. The COVID-19 pandemic reportedly claimed the lives of 6 million people worldwide, and in Ghana, about 1500 people have died.
• 27% of children missed scheduled vaccinations in March 2020 and over 2.9 million pupils were exposed to an increased risk of malnutrition due to the closure of schools at the height of COVID-19.

The sad reality is that the country does not have a dedicated fund for public health emergencies when they occur. We usually rely on the consolidated, contingency or other funds, which have proven insufficient. In other situations, we rely on donor funding, which is often not available at the time we need it most.

In our view, the gains of increased preparedness funding outweigh the cost of dealing with the impact of epidemics. Ghana’s economy is taking a significant hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks. Continuous investment in epidemic preparedness helps safeguard economic development and protect the well-being of citizens. There is no better time than now to fund epidemic preparedness. One of the surest ways to attain this is to set aside a dedicated funding source.

Establishing a Public Health Emergency Fund or expanding the existing COVID-19 Levy to include epidemics prevention and response at all levels would be a great opportunity for Ghana’s readiness and preparedness to deal with any future epidemics. 

With a strong political will, this can happen!