Mr Tsutomu Himeno (middle) handing over the keys to the vehicles to Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu. With them is Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service. Picture: BENEDICT OBUOBI

Japanese government donates vehicles, items to MoH

Doreen Andoh Dec - 05 - 2018 , 07:00

The Japanese government has donated 26 double-cabin pick-ups to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to enhance health delivery in the three regions of the north.

It has also donated 1,500 home visit kits, comprising backpacks with rain coats, reflectors, torches and power banks, to the beneficiary regions.

The vehicles and items, which were presented to the MoH in Accra yesterday, are to improve service delivery, supervision, monitoring and evaluation at Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in the three regions.

The gesture forms part of a poverty reduction strategy initiative for which a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Ghana and Japan earlier this year.

Appreciation

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, expressed appreciation to the government and the people of Japan for their support to the health sector in Ghana over the years and said the vehicles and the items would aid his outfit in its quest to achieve universal health coverage for the country.

“We are seeking to do this by strengthening primary health care, particularly at the grass roots,” he added.

The minister mentioned other interventions by the Japanese government as the construction of 70 CHPS compounds in the Upper West Region and the provision of technical support for the three regions of the north.

“The grant aid scheme by JICA has been in existence since 2010 as a sector budget support focusing on health. This year’s grant is meant to support efforts to expand community health services in the three regions of the north,” he said.

Commitment

The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Tsutomu Himeno, said the people of Japan were committed to supporting Ghana in its socio-economic development.

He said the decision to help Ghana’s health sector was to accelerate the government’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC).

Mr Hoshi said JICA, as an international development organisation, was also dedicated to ensuring a better world where access to basic social services and equity for all segments of society would be realised.

“In this regard, JICA collaborates with Ghana’s Health Ministry and its agencies to expand basic health services to deprived regions in order to achieve UHC,” he added.

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