More than $1.6 million worth of essential family planning commodities and other medical products donated by the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) have been stuck at the Tema port since February of this year.
A coalition of 55 civil society organizations is demanding urgent government intervention. The CSOs further noted that, Ghana recently launched the Ghana Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan (GFPCIP), reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring that by 2030, all persons of reproductive age have equitable and timely access to quality FP information, commodities, and services in line with global FP2030 goals.
However, delays in clearing essential FP commodities, leading to stockouts, cast doubt on this pledge, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the larger Sustainable Development Goals.
The FP commodities among other medical products, have not been cleared from the port since February 2024. According to the Coalition, the delay in clearance, caused by unpaid duties and subsequent demurrage fees, has led to critical shortages of key contraceptive supplies at the central and regional medical stores and health facilities across the country.
The stockout of these essential supplies has a significant impact on national efforts to improve the health outcomes of Ghanaians, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancies and undermining efforts to improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes in Ghana.
The Coalition, using MSI’s impact calculator, states that these FP commodities, when used by women, are estimated to avert 2,514 child deaths, 255 maternal deaths, 62,728 unsafe abortions, and 199,182 unintended pregnancies and save the government of Ghana more than two hundred million Ghana cedis in direct healthcare costs.
Source: 3news.com
