Actors within the Health Sector have been urged to form strategic collaboration to address issues of health and health-related Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs).
Mr Charles Abani, the UN Residence Coordinator Ghana, said it was crucial for Governments, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), academia, private sector to work together, especially with Think Thanks, to provide critical inputs and drive processes to support development that unearths key and vital issues that are required to help reshape public policy.
He was speaking at a stakeholder engagement and inaugurated the Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals Think Tank dubbed: ‘Catalysing Progress: Strengthening Collaborative Approach for Health and Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana.’
Mr Abani, who was represented by Mr Juan Manuel Dewez, Chief of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF, said health was a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.
He said it was important for actors to collaborate across sectors, organizations, and c
ommunities to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare services.
Mr Abani said the SDGs were strongly connected and a focus beyond SDG three and linkages to other health-related SDGs would help achieve not only good health and well-being but would significantly help attain other SDGs.
‘As you know, SDG three is interconnected and has synergies with SDGs (1- Poverty reduction, 2- quality education, 5- Gender Equality, 6 – Clean water and sanitation, 10- reduced inequalities),’ he said.
He said collaborative approaches would create a more holistic and integrated development strategy; allow for the pooling of resources-financial, technical, and human; and bring diverse perspectives, expertise, and innovative solutions; enhance innovation and knowledge sharing and implementation of comprehensive programmes to address issues.
Dr Eugene Owusu, Special Advisor to the President on SDGs, said without a healthy population, efforts in education, economic growth and poverty alleviation could not be realised, the
refore, accelerating efforts towards SDG three was not just a health priority but an absolute development imperative.
He said achieving SDG three required strategic investment to bridge the financing gap where we must be deliberate in increasing health spending and deepening private sector participation.
Dr Owusu said collaboration meant the use of emerging technologies and smart innovations to bridge the gaps, enhance efficiency and bring health care services closer to people who need them the most.
The Health and Health-related SDG (HHSDG) GhanaThink tank would foster a collaborative environment where scientific evidence and policy expertise converge to inform decision-making and drive positive change.
Professor David Teye Doku of the University of Cape Coast and Country Lead for HHSDG said their goal was to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and best practices to tackle pressing issues in areas such as climate change and sustainability, health and wellbeing.
Other areas would be technology a
nd innovation, education and skills development, economic growth and development, adding that Ghana has not attained the goal of child health issues and maternal health and the Think Thank would help in meeting these targets.
Source: Ghana News Agency
