Project on affordable medicines for non-communicable diseases launched
The Ghana Access and Affordability Programme (GAAP), an initiative designed to improve access to safe, effective and affordable medicines for the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country, has been launched in Accra.
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GAAP is a private/public partnership initiative between the Government of Ghana and three pharmaceutical companies, Sanofi Associate, MSD and Pfizer.
The programme targets low and middle-income Ghanaians suffering from NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes and neoplastic disease.
The pilot programme of GAAP is currently being implemented at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Kings Medical Centre, Hohoe District Hospital, Volta Regional Hospital, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
NCDS on the rise
Speaking at the launch of GAAP, The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Tia Sugri, said NCDs were now emerging as an epidemic, causing a substantial rise in mortality rates worldwide.
He also said those diseases were not just a health problem but also had considerable economic impact since they primarily affected people who were economically productive.
“The World Health Organisation projects that deaths resulting from these NCDs will exceed deaths from communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional diseases by 2030,” he said, and added, “This implies that if these problems are not addressed, we will see our death rates soar in the coming years.”
Dr Tia said the intervention designed under the direction of GAAP had come at the right time, adding that over the years, the healthcare investment and focus had been on HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
He indicated that tremendous efforts had been made by the government to ensure that those suffering from those diseases had access to the relevant medication.
The deputy minister also said the research GAAP was about to embark on, using an evidence-based approach, would give Ghana the unique opportunity to demonstrate that, indeed, improving patients’ access to innovative and efficacious medicines, regardless of their socio-economic status, improved health outcomes.
The objective of GAAP
The Programme Manager of GAAP, Mrs Lynda Arthur, said the programme had been designed to help bring affordable and innovative medicine to some targeted undeserved Ghanaians.
“GAAP will conduct studies that will provide empirical data looking at the effect of differential pricing of selected innovative medicines and health system strengthening, including supply chain management, on specific health outcomes,” she said.
According to Mrs Arthur, the data that would be generated would help guide policy and decision-making to ensure that the most vulnerable had improved access to safe and effective medicine.
She said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was contributing financially in support of evaluation programmes being developed with the assistance of the Johns Hopkins University.