The government has commended the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) for educating and providing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) services for young people to make informed choices about their reproductive health.
The Association, over the past years, had pioneered many projects, including family life education for the youth, male clinics and the integration of family planning into community development projects.
Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, said this at the Association’s 58th Anniversary lecture in Accra.
The lecture was on the theme: “Celebrating 58 Years of PPAG’s Leadership in SRHR Education and Services in Ghana.”
She said PPAG’s contributions had been transformative, with over six million individuals benefiting from family planning and reproductive health services.
PPAG’s youth programmes, she stated, had reached more than 1.5 million adolescents, providing them with vital education and counselling on reproductive health.
“Through mobile outreach services, PPAG has extended care to underserved areas, ensuring equitable access for all,” Dr Lartey said.
“In 2023, PPAG distributed three million contraceptives, preventing thousands of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.”
She said PPAG’s work had been instrumental in supporting national priorities, such as the National Reproductive Health Strategy and Ghana’s pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals Three and Five.
The Minister said the Government, among others, developed the National Reproductive Health Service Policy and Standards to guide health workers in providing such services.
She announced that President John Mahama would soon establish the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MAHAMACARES) to support the cost of health care for persons with chronic diseases such as kidney failure, cancers, sickle cell disease, diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.
The government, Dr Lartey said, was working with all relevant stakeholders to uncap the National Health Insurance Levy and ensure the timely release of payments to service providers.
Mr Albert Wuddah-Martey, a development specialist, urged the Association to continue to innovate, adapt and collaborate with partners to execute its mandate to improve healthcare services.
He appealed to corporate Ghana to invest in SRHR to reach out to the hard-to-reach communities in providing sexual and reproductive services.
Mr Gideon Leckson-Leckey, President of PPAG, said the Association planned to organise a PPAG Hall of Fame to honour individuals, who had contributed to the work of SRHR in the country.
The Association would also institute PPAG Staff and Volunteer Awards to appreciate staff for their hard work.