By Mohammed Suleman
STAR Ghana Foundation is in the process of establishing a robust manifesto tracker to systematically monitor government commitments in the health sector.
The move, according to the Foundation is critical in ensuring accountability and evidence-based engagement with policymakers.
These issues were made known in Accra on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at a National convening on tracking government commitments in the health sector.
Organised by STAR- Ghana Foundation with funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the meeting was to provide a platform to analyse opportunities for leveraging CSOs’ evidence-based advocacy in healthcare service delivery, while strengthening civil society’s role in monitoring government performance and advocating for reforms. It was also to develop strategies for tracking government commitments on healthcare improvements.
Addressing the media, Mr Raymond Danso, Portfolio Manager, Right to Services at STAR-Ghana Foundation indicated the importance of developing a structured approach to tracking key indicators in several areas, particularly in herbal traditional alternative medicine and public health emergencies and pandemic preparedness.
Mr Danso noted, “We have gathered to look at the key manifesto promises, the key themes, the different intervention areas, and really looking at how best we’ll be able to monitor progress and also support the government to be able to achieve that vision.
“One of the things we have tried to do is to put up a manifesto tracker, which essentially will guide our work in terms of what are we monitoring, how are we collecting the data, how are we analyzing the data, and what feedback we are giving to the government, and for which reason where areas that we need to intensify our advocacy. So that is the purpose for this convening, is to strengthen our collective advocacy and to make it clear for us what we are going to monitor as part of government efforts within the health ecosystem.”
Commenting on the recent Budget Statement, Mr Danso said the uncapping of the National Health Insurance (NHIS) levy and the full allocation of funds to the health insurance sector is a significant milestone as it directly impacts private hospitals, free primary healthcare initiatives, and overall health sector funding, which is a major win for health financing in Ghana.
He said, “the health insurance levy, and as you rightly saw in the recent budget, the Minister for Finance has been clear that the allocation for the health insurance levy will be given to the health insurance sector. And we think that this is a big relief because then private hospitals will be receiving their reimbursement or claims. Government will be able to also work towards free primary health care and all the other interesting interventions that the government has set itself to achieve within the next four years.”
Asked whether the media will be right to say STAR- Ghana Foundation welcomes the uncapping of the NHIS, he responded, “ I think if you look at the genesis of our work and where we are, I think that we are very excited to see some of the things that we propose together with other partners even beyond the manifesto reflected in the present budget statement. And that is quite a relief. There are still areas that will still need to be worked on and I think that is part of what we are also prepared to do to look at other policy alternatives, best practices to propose to government for its adoption and onward implementation.”
Mr Danso added, “It’s great to see your advocacy yielding results, but sustained monitoring, research, and public engagement will be key to ensuring these commitments translate into real improvements in Ghana’s healthcare system.”
The convening brought together key stakeholders, including civil society organizations, health sector practitioners, advocacy groups and the media.
The Forum formed part of the Foundation’s Inclusive Elections & Accountable Governance in Ghana Project (Phase III) of the Gender Rights and Empowerment Project (G-REP).
