The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has appointed the Dean-School of Engineering Sciences, University of Ghana, Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, as Chairperson of a new committee to champion health promotion activities in the country.
The 16-member committee, dubbed the ‘National Inter-agency Coordinating Committee for Health Promotion’ (ICC-HP), is mandated to provide sustained health promotion that will contribute to improving the well-being and health of Ghana’s people.
Director-General Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, explained that selecting committee members was deliberately done across several sectors of the industry – for them to bring their rich resources in terms of skills and expertise onboard to surmount the challenge of changing social behaviour.
“The committee is tasked with fostering improved communication, cooperation and collaboration, and will harness and coordinate advisory resources of key stakeholders to improve health and wellbeing while being advocates of health promotion. It will also drive the strategic interface between government agencies and the wider public to adopt and implement health promotion policies.
“The rapid increase in non-communicable disease is a major challenge for the country, which requires not only infrastructure investment but also major behavioural change that requires the expertise of these individuals working collectively to tackle issues of concern,” he said.
Prof. Kaufmann, who is also Quiz Mistress of the popular National Science and Math Quiz (NSMQ), in her remarks stated that as a multisectoral advisory body, the ICC-HP will provide strategic direction, undertake activities to harmonise and coordinate the collective engagement activities available, and mobilise resources for health promotion in the country.
“We are optimistic that the ICC-HP will work hard to leverage private sector support for health promotion, harness the necessary human and material resources to support health promotion service delivery, and sustain its work. We have resolved to work even harder to ensure we achieve the GHS vision of the ICC-HP.
“We have plans and activities that we will be drawing up to promote health; bring on board the private sector to be interested in what government is doing; encourage healthy living; and harmonise all promotion campaigns in the country,” she said.
To clear all misinformation, Prof. Kaufmann emphasised that the committee is a coordinating body that will bring together health education and sensitisation initiatives – both private and state-funded. This will ensure that all activities are in sync with the country’s health ambitions.
Members of the Committee
The other committee members include Managing Director of MullenLowe Accra, Norkor Duah; Country Director, Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes, Emmanuel Fiagbey; Registrar/CEO-Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana, Kwabena Agyekum; Deputy Director, Health Promotion Division (HPD)-GHS, Mabel Asafo; and Robert Amponsah, Lecturer-University of Professional Studies, Accra,.
Others are Vice President-Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Justice Yankson; Director-HPD, GHS, Dr. DaCosta Aboagye; Managing Director-AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control, Samuel Asiedu; President-Advertising Association of Ghana, Andrew Ackah; and National Programme Coordinator-Women in Law and Development in Africa, Melody Darkey.
The rest are Head of Communications and Public Education-Food and Drugs Authority, Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah; Representative from Association of Ghana Industries, John Defoe; Chief Executive Officer, GLICO Healthcare-Maame Afriyie Boachie; Director-Haven International, Jennifer Brock; and CEO-Kinapharma Limited, Nsiah Poku.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a key funding partner of the initiative.
