Build strategic partnerships to strengthen child health - First Lady

The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for strategic partnerships between the private and public sectors to help improve the lives of children in the country.

“Strategic partnerships provide opportunities to access a broad range of resources and expertise and also provide competitive advantage in a world that has increasingly become competitive,” she said.

The First Lady made the call at the Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG) in Accra yesterday.

AGSM

The AGSM was attended by healthcare providers in the areas of paediatric care and drug manufacturing as well as development partners and other stakeholders.

It was on the theme: “Building Partnerships to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3”.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said strategic partnerships would help “provide access to additional resources and enable us to reach more children.”
In addition, she said it would help in generating new ideas and “allow us to venture into unexplored terrain.”

“Building partnerships also makes us stronger as we combine to strengthen weak elements in the chain and contribute to the robustness of the strategy that eventually will benefit children in Ghana,” she added.

The First Lady said having observed the many interventions, policies and conventions to promote the well-being of children all over the world, particularly, regarding their vulnerability, health and well-being, she was of the view that building strategic partnerships was the way to go.

She said ever since the rollout of the SDGs, the need for stronger partnerships had become even more pertinent to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age by 2030.

Strategic alliance

The Chief of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF, Dr Mrunal Shetye, said although Ghana’s child health indicators in antenatal care and complementary feeding had improved over the years, there was still more to be done to reduce the country’s infant and neonatal deaths.

He said the rates of maternal, under five, infant and neonatal mortalities in the country were not impressive, saying : “Although the country seemed to be doing well on the ground, the statistics were not reflective of overall coverage.

He called on healthcare practitioners to collaborate more with stakeholders by engaging with one another as means to achieving the desired changes needed in childcare in the country.

Partnership building

An official from the office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Ghana, Dr Roselyn Doe, said global estimates showed that Ghana still had a lot to do in the area of childcare.

She said if the country continued to do things in a lukewarm manner, it would not be able to reach the SDG targets by the 2030 deadline. She as such called for accelerated action and partnership building.

The Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Mrs Martha Gyansah-Lutterodt, called on civil society organisations, the government and other interest groups to come together to improve the well-being of children in the country.

Welcoming participants to the meeting, the President of the PSG, Dr John Adabie Appiah, said newborns, children and adolescents in the country were faced with a myriad of health challenges which must be addressed holistically.

He said although the country made serious attempts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it could not and this was why all efforts must be expended to achieve the current SDG targets.

The PSG honoured the First Lady with a citation for her continuous effort in ensuring quality child health in the country. It also conferred an honorary membership of the PSG on her.

Writer's email:rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh