Hope For Future Generations advocates increase in health budget

The government has been urged to increase the health sector budget allocation toward meeting the 15 per cent target under the Abuja Declaration.

Hope For Future Generations (HFFG), an advocacy organisation, which made the call, said the current 6.32 per cent health budget allocation was inadequate to address the growing needs in health.

The Abuja Declaration, adopted in April 2001, is a commitment by African Union member states to allocate at least 15 per cent of their national budgets to improve healthcare systems, aiming to address pressing health challenges like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

The HFFG and its partners acknowledged the government’s effort to increase the health budget allocation by approximately GH₵2 billion, with a nominal increase of 13.4 per cent in the 2025 health budget — rising from GH₵15.6 billion in 2024 to GH₵17.8 billion in 2025.

“This represents 6.32 per cent of the total national budget. However, Ghana’s allocation remains far below the 15 per cent commitment set by the Abuja Declaration, which signals a need for stronger prioritisation of the health sector,” the HFFG said in response to the 2025 Budget Statement presented by the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

Again, it said when adjusting the 2025 budget for inflation (using February 2024 as a base year), the nominal allocation for 2025 decreased by 23 per cent in real value, indicating a decline in purchasing power.

If inflation is not effectively managed, the health sector could face severe constraints, undermining service delivery and progress toward UHC,” it said.

Budget

The organisation said the “Government must ensure the timely release of funds to meet Ghana's vaccine co-financing obligations, mitigating risks of preventable disease outbreaks and preserving the real value of the budget allocation”.

It said it was projected that a shortage of vaccines was likely if co-financing payments were not made by the end of March.

“Although the uncapping of NHIL is commendable, the GH¢9.93 billion allocation is insufficient, especially as the scope of services under NHIL has expanded.

The government must mobilise additional domestic resources, particularly for PHC and immunisation financing,” it said.

The statement said while immunisation was critical to epidemic control, it could not address emerging health threats entirely.

For instance, it said new strains of meningitis have rendered existing vaccines less effective, necessitating expensive curative treatments.

“The Government must establish a dedicated pool of resources for epidemic preparedness to enhance vaccination coverage, health research, health promotion, public health surveillance, and monitoring and evaluation of health systems,” it said.

It called on policymakers to act swiftly in addressing these critical gaps to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens,” it said.

It also urged the government to prioritise sustainable and equitable health financing as a key driver for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), especially in Primary Health Care (PHC) and immunisation services.

Funds

It said: “With the exit of Gavi by 2029, the country faces an urgent need to secure sustainable domestic funding to avoid vaccine stockouts, delayed procurement and reversal of public health gains. It is important to work towards attaining vaccine sovereignty.

It called for increased and equitable allocation in the country’s health budget and also acknowledged the government’s focus on epidemic preparedness and response, including expanded immunisation and integrated disease surveillance.

However, it said without a dedicated pool of resources for emergency preparedness, the country remained vulnerable to outbreaks.