The pilot project of the Ghana Accessibility and Affordability Programme (GAAP), designed to improve access to medicines that patients in the pilot areas might not be able to afford, has been launched in Accra.
The programme will be targeted at patients at pilot sites in four regions in Ghana, who are being treated for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and neoplastic diseases.
Ghana is one of the three countries selected after a survey including 20 countries. This pilot project involves health system strengthening activities such as: the training of prescribers in the management and treatment of hypertension and diabetes; training of pharmacy personnel in good pharmaceutical practice and counselling for diabetes and hypertension. Supply chain management training, training in data collection, tracking and management of information systems will also be included.
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Kings Medical Centre, Volta Regional Hospital, Hohoe District Hospital and, prospectively, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital are the health facilities for the implementation of the Pilot.
This project is being run by Sanofi, MSD, and Pfizer- three of the world’s major research-based bio-pharmaceutical companies in collaboration with national governments. It is also being supported by the government of the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DfID) and one of America’s leading academic institutions- the Johns Hopkins University.
Speaking at the launch in Accra on Wednesday, Mrs Lynda Arthur, Programme Manager of GAAP, said GAAP was working hard to find innovative ways of increasing access to their medicines for people in many emerging markets and developing countries.
Mrs Arthur expressed the hope that through the initiative, Ghana could become a model of affordable and sustainable quality health care in Africa.
The Deputy Minister for Health, Hon. Dr Tia Sugri Alfred, commended GAAP for the contribution it was going to make to the fight against non-communicable diseases which, he said, the Ministry of Health, as a major player, could not handle alone.
