Accra, 25 July 2005 -- The Honorable Minster of Health of Ghana, Major (Rtd) Courage Quashigah today said that for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other agreed national and international goals, Africa will need to adopt a paradigm shift to focus more on health promotion.

"This is because most of the determinants of health lie outside the traditional boundaries of the health sector; and improving health will require actions that are multi-sectoral as well as intersectoral", he said.

Major Quashigah was addressing the opening of an inter-country meeting on ''New

Ways of Working with WHO" in Accra this morning. The meeting brought together

WHO Representatives from 14 countries in the African Region, WHO Liaison and

Administrative officers as well as Representatives from WHO Regional Office and

Headquarters. It is aimed at addressing the issues of re-positioning WHO offices to better give technical support to member countries.

Major Quashigah said in moving Africa forward, it is important to acknowledge that our approach to health delivery is currently over medicalized and that such an approach will not be adequate to deliver the MDGs and Abuja Targets.

The Minister of Health questioned why countries in the sub-region are not on course to achieve the MDGs and also yet to achieve internationally adopted goals like Health for All by the Year 2002'', ''Three by Five'' and the ''Abuja Targets for Malaria Control'.

He stressed that countries in the sub-region can and should no longer be exploited

by the unjust world order. ''We will therefore need WHO to assist identify the evidence-based interventions that will address our health challenges.

''We expect WHO to provide impartial policies that is evidence based and culturally

sensitive' he said , adding that it was gratifying to note that WHO is re-profiling its country offices to better coordinate and deliver its contribution to national health development.

In a speech read on his behalf by Dr. Melville George, WHO Representatives in Ghana, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, the WHO Regional Director thanked the Government of Ghana for its support to the WHO through the Regional Office in the past and its commitment to continue support for the new administration.

The Regional Director said said in the last decade, the vision and definition of health has been broadened to include a large number of stakeholders and the development of multi disciplinary and multi sectoral approaches to provide solutions to health problems in the region.

However, he noted that the technical challenges now faced by public health are much more complex than those faced a decade ago. The Regional Director said it is in this direction that WHO country offices have to position themselves to be able to tackle the new approaches to health not only in the region but globally.

Others speakers at the opening ceremony included Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director General of the Ghana Health Service who chaired the function, Dr. Oladapo Walker, WHO African Region, Dr. Bob Fryatt, WHO Geneva. The workshop ends on 29 July 2005.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Sophia Twum-Barima,

The Health Information and Promotion Officer in the Office of the Representative, World Health Organization,
P.O. Box MB 142,
Accra, Ghana
Tel: (233) 21 763918/9,
Fax: (233) 21 763920
Email: who [at] gh.afro.who.int
stbarima [at] gh.afro.who.int