Background

USAID's Health program aims at decreasing mortality among women and children under five, especially by reducing the impact and spread of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases, and increasing the use of family planning. The program expands access to quality health services, empowers individuals and communities to adopt positive health practices, and strengthens the capacity of community and district-level health officers to plan and manage health programs.

USAID/Ghana Health interventions include:

Preventing and controlling malaria and major infectious diseases: In 2008, Ghana became a Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) focus country. PMI activities are focused on scaling up proven malaria control interventions targeting children under five and pregnant women. USAID/Ghana PMI promotes four major malaria control interventions: (1) indoor residual spraying; (2) insecticide treated bed nets; (3) effective case management and improved diagnostics; and (4) provision of intermittent preventative treatment in pregnancy.

Reducing transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS: Given that Ghana has a highly concentrated epidemic, USAID/Ghana contributions to the national program are targeted to prevent HIV among persons engaged in high risk behaviors, thus reducing HIV transmission to the general population. The United States Government (USG) also provides comprehensive prevention, care and treatment for those infected, their partners and families. Prevention activities focus on partner reduction and use of condoms, and anti-stigma activities help increase the uptake of testing, treatment and care. In 2008, Ghana was invited to develop a Partnership Framework under the President's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief. The Framework is a five-year joint strategic framework for cooperation between the USG, Government of Ghana and other partners to combat HIV/AIDS through service delivery, policy reform, and coordinated financial commitments.

Improving maternal and child survival, reproductive health, and nutrition: USAID promotes safe motherhood by supporting quality improvements in specific maternal and child health services during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period; community outreach and engagement on the importance of using these health services, and other aspects of healthy behaviors such as nutrition and immunization of young children. To broaden access to and use of family planning, USAID supports activities that increase awareness and understanding of family planning methods, improve the quality of family planning services including counseling, and promote free and informed choice of clients among a wide range of methods.

Reducing the transmission of infectious diseases, diarrhea and malnutrition: USAID is working to increase the availability and quality of water, improve sanitation, and increase community capacity in using and maintaining water and sanitation infrastructure. Behaviors related to hygiene including use of water purification tablets, hand washing with soap, consistent use and clean maintenance of sanitation facilities, and protection of potable water sources are promoted. USAID also provides technical support for the National Tuberculosis Control Program and supports mass treatment campaigns for five neglected Tropical Diseases in areas where they are endemic.

Key achievements in 2008 include:

• Over 104,000 women in rural communities where USAID programs are active had skilled birth attendants at their deliveries, and more than 70 percent of their newborns received essential newborn care.

• More than 120,000 households received indoor residual spraying with insecticide, protecting over 601,000 individuals from malaria under the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative.

• Household ownership of insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) increased from 11 percent in 2004 to 64 percent in 2008 in five targeted regions, while children under five who slept under an ITN increased from 8 percent to 41 percent during the same period.

• Over 115,000 women in 40 deprived districts benefited from drugs that help prevent malaria during pregnancy.

• Community health officers and volunteers in USAID focus districts carried out growth monitoring and promotion for over 38,000 children and reached 32,000 others with nutrition programs.

• One year on after USAID-assisted training in counseling and interpersonal communication, community health officers recorded 29 percent increase in their clients' protection against pregnancy, using modern contraceptive methods. In USAID focus districts, over 475,000 people received family planning counseling.

• USAID HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support activities reached more than 13,000 commercial sex workers in 2008.

• With USAID support, treatment success of tuberculosis has risen from 60 percent in 2002 to 83 percent in 2007.

• USAID supported updates of the healthcare worker training curriculum and trained 650 health workers to improve access to basic health care.

• More than 5,600 people gained access to safe water with the provision of 14 boreholes.