The Executive Director of the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), Francis Ameyibor, has stressed the need for the country to accelerate its efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Three (SDG 3), which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.
He said as the global community approaches 2030, it was crucial for the country to critically assess its progress in guaranteeing access to quality essential health care services, as well as safe, effective and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.
He said this at a media engagement on the CDA Consult Cervical Cancer Prevention Change Paradigm Advocacy Campaign.
Action against cervical cancer
Mr Ameyibor, called on the government and health sector stakeholders to step up nationwide efforts to combat cervical cancer, especially in low-income and underserved areas cautioning that, despite Ghana’s progress on some health indicators, the pace towards achieving SDG 3 remained too slow.
He said cervical cancer continues to pose a major threat to women’s health, yet the country’s response remains inadequate and fragmented.
A more coordinated, well-resourced, and community-based approach, he said, was urgently needed to protect vulnerable populations and close existing health gaps.
Citing global data, he stressed that the likelihood of dying from cervical cancer was comparable to contracting Ebola, adding that its mortality rate was almost twice that of breast cancer.
He warned that without intensified prevention, screening and treatment, Ghana risks losing more women to a disease that is largely preventable.
Policy Reform
Mr Ameyibor explained that CDA Consult, a member of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), has strengthened its Cervical Cancer Prevention Change Paradigm Advocacy Campaign, which uses responsive communication to drive attitudinal change, promote voluntary HPV vaccination, and encourage healthier lifestyle choices.
The campaign aims to improve public knowledge, dispel myths about cervical cancer screening and immunisation, and encourage mass participation in prevention efforts.
It also seeks to scale up access to free cervical cancer vaccination, expand early detection programmes and enhance treatment outcomes across the country.
He added that the advocacy framework emphasised primary prevention, improved national detection systems, and quality treatment pathways.
A key priority, he said, was mobilising funds to support HPV vaccination programmes in low and lower-middle-income communities where access to preventive health services is limited.
Mr Ameyibor stressed that strengthening the health workforce was essential, saying that policies must be improved to elevate the role of community health and outreach workers, provide them with adequate training and equip them to deliver integrated health services at the community level.
Role
The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), he said, continues to foster partnerships, build the capacity of member organisations and coordinate national advocacy to promote quality health care for all.
The coalition works to influence health policy, strengthen collaboration among NGOs, promote research, and mobilise donor resources to support national efforts aimed at improving the well-being of all people living in Ghana.
