The health equity and financialprotection reports are short country-specific volumes thatprovide a picture of equity and financial protection in thehealth sectors of low-and middle-income countries. Topicscovered include: inequalities in health outcomes, healthbehavior and health care utilization; benefit incidenceanalysis; financial protection; and the progressivity ofhealth care financing. Ghana's government is committedto improving equity and financial protection in the healthsector. In 2005, the Government of Ghana amended its growthand poverty reduction strategy report to include a newtarget in the country's development: to reach middleincome status by the year 2015 (Republic of Ghana 2005).Ghana's Minister of health has called attention to therole that health plays in economic development and hasplaced equity in both access and delivery of health servicesas a top priority for reaching middle income status(Ministry of health 2007). Ghana spends 8.1 per cent (2009)of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health. This isgreater than the spending levels in other lowermiddle-income countries in Africa, which spend an average of5.8 per cent (2009) of their GDP on health. Ghana providesfree health services for certain vulnerable groups, such aschildren under five, people over 70, and pregnant women. Inaddition, immunization and services to combat certaincommunicable diseases are provided free of charge.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
