An Analysis of the Contribution of the Global Fund in the Health Sector of Developing Countries: The Case of Ghana
Date
2019-07
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
The health sector is one of the under-resourced areas in most developing countries. The
advent of human security following the 1994 UNDP report has increased the recognition of
health in a security dimension and promoted further investments in the sector. In the last
decade, Global Health Initiatives (GHIs) like the Global Fund have changed the landscape
and architecture of health investments in most developing countries. The Global Fund
currently plays a dominant role in the fight against three major infectious diseases in the
world. This study analyses the contribution of the Global Fund in the health sector of
developing countries using Ghana as a case study. The qualitative research approach was
employed to gather, analyse and interpret data. In all, five interviews were conducted, and
these respondents were carefully selected for the study. Based on interviews and secondary
sources, the study identified several gaps in Ghana’s health sector, which have provided room
for the Global Fund to contribute to the health sector. The research identified the entire
population, including key populations like Female Sex Workers as focus groups of Global
Fund operations in Ghana. From the study, the Global Fund has made significant
contributions such as assisting the government to reduce disease burden, promoting human
resources for health, refurbishment of facilities and empowering civil societies, in the health
sector. The study further revealed that the Global Fund contributes indirectly to health
policies of Ghana and identified inadequate skilled personnel, occasional conflicts of interests,
issues of programme sustainability and cultural beliefs as factors inhibiting the Global Fund’s
interventions in Ghana. The study recommends that the government and Global Fund should
increase dialogue, intensify health education and cooperate to enhance health personnel
capacity. The government should further regulate health staff transfers and increase health
budget allocation to promote health development in the country.
Description
MA. International Affairs
Keywords
Global Fund, Health Sector, Ghana