Ghana needs emergency health fund to respond swiftly to outbreaks – SEND Ghana

Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, the Country Director for SEND Ghana, has urged the government to establish a dedicated public health emergency fund. The lack of such a fund, Agyemang argues, forces health authorities to navigate complex bureaucratic procedures to access resources during disease outbreaks, which inevitably leads to delays in critical interventions.

"We have been calling; SEND Ghana has been calling on government to get its emergency preparedness and response fund, or a public health emergency fund that reduces those bureaucracies," she stated on Joy FM's Top Story. Agyemang has been advocating for this fund for years, but to no avail. "It has been years, and we still do not have that fund established," she stressed.

The establishment of such a fund, according to Agyemang, would enable the government to swiftly mobilize resources and respond to outbreaks without being bogged down by standard financial protocols. She made her remarks as health authorities are currently handling suspected yellow fever cases across the country. Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh reported that between June and September 2026, approximately 450 suspected cases were recorded, including 74 in the Upper West Region. However, only three of these cases were confirmed as yellow fever.

Agyemang also called for strengthening local vaccine manufacturing, particularly in light of ongoing efforts to procure additional vaccine doses and secure isolation spaces. She urged the government to assess the progress of Ghana's vaccine manufacturing initiative and explore partnerships with private manufacturers to enhance the country's capacity to produce vaccines when required.