West African Health Organisation Commemorates 32nd Anniversary

By Chantal Aidoo & Ishmael Batoma

The West African Health Organisation has commemorated its 32nd anniversary in Accra on Tuesday.

WAHO was established by the Economic Community of West African States as a specialised institution responsible for health issues across West Africa.

It focuses on maternal, child and adolescent health, quality standards, pharmaceuticals (medicines and vaccines), prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable disease among other health issues in the sub-region.

In an interview with the Focal Person of WAHO, Madam Mercy Yeboah said a lot of activities have been done within the past 32 years with regard to capacity building, development of staff, training programmes for implementers, advocacy work on HIV, family planning, reproductive health, epidemic prevention, surveillance and data and information management.

All these programmes, she noted, were done to ensure that all countries in the sub-region got access to the best health care.

According to Madam Yeboah, the data and information management enabled countries to plan, based on the knowledge they have on the number of cases reported to health facilities, like cholera and HIV and AIDs.

She noted that this year, WAHO was ensuring that 15 per cent of budgetary allocation by member countries to the health sector was applied to enable the sector to plan well.

WAHO is also encouraging the production of medicines and vaccines in the member countries rather than importing them, she added.

At the district level, Madam Yeboah explained that the WAHO organised programmes that help women in planning birth, ensuring good health of their children, reproductive health care and the distribution of family planning products like male and female condoms.

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