Ghana Risk Not Achieving SDG Three

Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, has warned that Ghana risked not achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Three, if access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Rights of People with Disabilities (PWDs), were overlooked.

Mr Agyeman-Manu, whose address was read on his behalf at a stakeholder’s forum on Improving Universal Access to SHR and Rights of PWDs, called for a conscious effort to target the numerous barriers that confronted these groups of persons in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

He also called on Civil Society Organisations and all other health partners to intensify their advocacies for the review of the Disability Act, Act 715 of 2006, to clearly spell out the SRH and Rights for PWDs, and to compel service providers to recognize these groups as the beneficiaries of Rights to the services.

He mentioned that gaps and barriers, such as physical, educational, economical and communication continue to exist, affecting over 50 per cent of PWDs.

He said access to specific health services, including cancer screening and Family Planning were abysmal among this group of people, leading to increased morbidity and preventable deaths.

The forum, which was organised by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), in partnership with the French Embassy in Accra, was therefore to set the stage for a national dialogue, to come up with a comprehensive strategic policy guidelines for promoting the sexual Rights of PWDs.

Mr Agyeman-Manu explained that the SDG-3, had specific targets to ensure access to SRH care and UHC, stressing that, “Ghana will not realise its SDG-3 target if SRH needs of PWDs are not adequately addressed through a robust financial mechanism and an effective Primary Health Care System”.

He said such a move would facilitate the increased access covering the delivery of health care for these and other marginalized groups.

He also pointed out that although the country was a signatory to a number of International Conventions on Disability Rights, and had its own internal Constitutional and legal frameworks, as well as the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 Act 715, PWDs continue to be marginalised and abused by society.

Source: GNA