Monday, 6th June, 2022

Page 8
Health
DAILY ANALYST Monday, 6th June, 2022
Mr Kwaku
Agyeman Manu,
Minister of
Health, has
pledged Ghana’s
commitment to the World
Health Organization’s (WHO)
Global Health for Peace Initiative
at the just ended 75th World
Health Assembly held in Geneva,
Switzerland.
In his statement for the plenary
debate, Mr Agyeman Manu
expressed the country’s support
COVID-19 deaths in the
African region are
expected to decline
by almost 94% in 2022,
compared with 2021
which was the pandemic’s most
lethal year, a new modelling
by World Health Organization
(WHO) finds.
This comes while cases are
estimated to drop by a little over
a quarter this year.
The analysis, which was
published this week in the
scientific journal, the Lancet
Global Health, finds that while
the region reported 113,102
deaths in 2021 through official
channels, about one in three
deaths were missed and the true
number of deaths was 350,000.
The modelling suggests
that around 23,000 deaths
are expected by the end of
2022 if current variants and
transmission dynamics remain
constant. However, a variant that
is 200% more lethal would cause
an increase in deaths to more
than 70,000.
COVID-19 Less Deadly in
Africa in 2022
“Last year, we lost an average
of 970 people every day. This is
a catastrophically high toll,”
said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO
Regional Director for Africa.
“Our latest analysis suggests
that estimated deaths in the
African region will shrink to
around 60 a day in 2022. The low
number of deaths expected this
year is a huge achievement for
the region and a testament to the
efforts of countries and partners.
However, the job is not yet done.
Every time we sit back and relax,
COVID-19 flares up again. The
threat of new variants remains
Ghana to commit to Global
Health for Peace initiative
for the theme for this year’s
ensuring adequate security of
Assembly: “Peace for Health,
lives and property.
Health for Peace.”
He said the potential of
The WHO’s Global Health Initiative
(GHPI) envisions a theory
providing them with education
the youth could be realised by
of change based on equitable
and employable skills, as well
access to health services, health
as leveraging technology and
public-private partnerships for
job creation.
He said that would help to
reduce the burden of unemployment
among the youth, which
was a security threat.
interventions that promote trust
and dialogue, strive for universal
health coverage, generate trust,
and promote peace and reconciliation.
Mr Agyeman Manu indicated
that the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and Universal
Health Coverage (UHC) could not
be attained when there was no
peace.
“The endorsement by global
leaders in September, 2019 on
Universal Health Coverage
shows that there is enough
political ambition and commitment
by governments to
increase health spending, reduce
out-of-pocket payments, and
inequalities by strengthening
health systems based on strong
primary health care,” he said.
According to Mr. Agyeman
Manu, health for peace started
with the provision of fair and accountable
governance and social
support systems to the people,
creation of equal opportunities
for decent livelihoods for all, and
WHO: COVID-19 deaths in Africa
fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022
real, and we need to be ready
to cope with this ever-present
danger.”
A significant number of cases
have also gone unreported. The
study’s findings infer that only
one in 71 COVID-19 cases in the
region are recorded and 166.
2 million infections are
anticipated in 2022 compared
with the estimated 227.5 million
which occurred in 2021. The gap
in number of cases and deaths
in 2022 is due to increasing
vaccination, improved pandemic
response and natural immunity
from previous infections which,
while not preventing reinfections,
stop severe forms of
the disease and deaths.
In 2021, the African region
experienced a particularly deadly
pandemic, with the analysis
estimating that COVID-19 was
the seventh major cause of death,
just below malaria, while in 2020,
the virus was the 22nd major
cause of deaths in the region. The
significant increase in deaths in
2021 was due to the delta variant
which was more infectious and
caused more severe disease.
“We have learnt many lessons
on how to stay a step ahead of the
virus,” said Dr Moeti.
“Now is the time to refine
our response and identify
populations most at-risk of
COVID-19. Countries must
intensify efforts to conduct a
targeted response that provides
the most vulnerable people with
the health services they need,
including COVID-19 vaccines and
effective treatment,” they add.
The Pandemic is Still Here &
Comorbidities are Still Dangerous
As the pandemic persists,
it is crucial to ramp up
comprehensive health care
services including preventive
measures, treatment and
vaccination for vulnerable
populations. Targeted
surveillance will also be critical
to monitor hospitalization, the
burden of comorbidities and the
emergence of new variants.
The burden of COVID-19
deaths has been uneven across
the African region. Highincome
or upper middle-income
countries and those in the
South African Development
Community have around double
the mortality rates in lowerincome
and lower-middle-income
countries in other economic
regions of Africa.
The analysis shows that
the variation in the number
of deaths were driven by
biological and physical factors,
primarily comorbidities such
as hypertension, diabetes,
chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, HIV and obesity which
increase the severity and the
risk of mortality in COVID-19
patients. The prevalence of
these comorbidities increased in
countries with higher death tolls.
The divergence in cases and
deaths is evident in the latest sixweek
surge in southern Africa,
where the average reported
deaths hovered at nearly 200 a
week, compared with more than
44,000 new weekly average case
numbers.
For the past two weeks new
cases have decreased after four
consecutive weeks of increase
across Africa, signalling the
possibility that the latest surge
has reached its peak./ITNews
(2022).
The Ghana Health
Service (GHS) Council
has inaugurated a
nine-member Ashanti
Regional Health
Committee with a call on
members to support the Health
Directorate in community
mobilisation towards success in
all interventions.
The Committee, chaired by
Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua,
the Kumawumanhene, was
made up of representatives
from the clergy, Muslim leaders,
traditional authorities, and the
Regional Coordinating Council.
They would, among other
things, represent community
interests in the formulation
of policies on health issues
and facilitate feedback on the
management and performance of
health service in the region.
Monitoring the effectiveness
of communication with
communities and the extent to
which management of health
service in the region addresses
and resolves complaints
submitted by communities
would be one of its core
mandates.
Dr Sefa Sarpong Bediako, the
Chairman of the Council of GHS,
who inaugurated the committee,
charged the members to build
a strong partnership with
the directorate to ensure the
priortisation of the region’s
health agenda for effective
implementation.
As an advisory body to the
health directorate, Dr Bediako
urged the committee to work
closely with the Regional
Director in the performance of
his duties to address the health
needs of the people.
He charged the committee
to facilitate dialogue with
various stakeholders including
local government and political
leadership, traditional
authorities, public and private
institutions to support health
interventions at all levels to
improved outcomes.
It must also set up alternative
dispute resolution mechanisms
to resolve issues between the
Mr Agyeman Manu said there
was the need for a concerted
effort at the highest level of
government to promote global
peace for health.
The Seventy-fifth World
Health Assembly was held in
Geneva, Switzerland, on May 22
– 28, 2022.
It was the first in-person
Health Assembly since the start
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
GHS Council Inaugurates
Ashanti Regional Health
Committee
Health Service and stakeholders,
and between management and
staff, he said.
Dr Bediako challenged
the committee to champion
resource mobilisation for
implementation of programmes
and ensure accountability and
transparency in the use of
resources.
It is also required to
facilitate the establishment of
metropolitan, municipal and
district health committees and
perform oversight roles on their
activities to ensure effective
service delivery.
Barima Sarfo Tweneboa
Kodua, Chairman of the
Committee, said the role
assigned the committee was a
national call to duty and pledged
the commitment of members
to work to improve the health
delivery system in the region.
“The committee will deliver
strategic advocacy and service
support to the Regional Director,
to advance health and wellbeing
at the community, district
and regional levels,” he assured.
He said they were assuming
office at a time the regional
health care system was
challenged with poor and
inadequate infrastructure,
inequitable distribution of staff,
and inadequate funding for
regular supportive supervision,
and promised the committee’s
readiness to help address those
challenges.