Ghana committed to implementing ‘One Health’ initiative - Dr Odame

The Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry of Health, Dr Emmanuel Ankrah Odame, has said Ghana is committed to implementing the “One Health” approach to designing health systems and services in ways that successfully prevent and manage public health emergencies and threats.

Dr Odame, who represented the Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia, at the first-ever Ministerial  West African Regional Conference on ‘’One Health’’ in Dakar, Senegal recently, said the meeting offered a platform for countries at risk of zoonotic diseases to build partnerships  and sustain regular engagements to make human and animal health security foremost.

The conference was hosted by the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa, the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the Regional Animal Health Centre (RAHC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and the United States (US) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The lessons of Ebola are clear for all of us to see. We need to learn from best practices,” Dr Odame stated.

Self assessment

Dr Odame said Ghana had already conducted a self assessment exercise and was planning  to undertake a joint external evaluation in January 2017 towards the integrated approach to  human, animal and wildlife health security.

After this is done, he said the country would then develop a comprehensive action plan to implement the initiative.

Political attention

He hinted that advocacy efforts were ongoing to place  the One Health programme under the office of the Vice-President to attract the highest level of political attention and action.

Furthermore, he said measures were being taken to back the concept with legislation in order to ensure effective implementation.

According to him, Ghana was a signatory to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), an effort by more than 50 countries, international and civil society organisations to ensure global preparedness in line with the WHO’s International Health Regulation (IHR) and other relevant frameworks.

Dr Odame said the GHSA was launched in February 2014 by leaders from 28 countries, the WHO, OIE and FAO and in September 2015,  the second GHSA ministerial meeting came out with a declaration which Ghana endorsed, proving that the country is  committed to the agenda.