GHS inaugurates 22-member Interagency Coordinating Committee for Health Promotion (ICC-HP) for Northern, Upper East and Upper West

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has on Thursday February 22,2024, inaugurated members of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for Health Promotion (ICC-HP) for the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions.

The committee, comprising stakeholders from diverse backgrounds of expertise, has been tasked with the responsibility of promoting good health practices amongst the populace and also causing behavioral change.

The ICC-HP initiative was formed in June 2010 with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed at harnessing and coordinating the advisory resources of key stakeholders to enhance health and well-being.

It is also aimed at serving as advocates for health promotion, the committee strategically engages with government agencies to promote and implement health promotion policies. By delivering sustained health promotion services, the ICC-HP endeavors to foster a healthier nation for all Ghanaians.

Speaking to the media after the inaugural ceremony in Tamale, Director of Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, indicated that, formations of such committees to boost health promotion had become more crucial with the rise in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“It is very crucial at the time of pandemic of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) where we know that hypertension, diabetes, stroke and others are on the rise. It is just appropriate that these committees will actually work to support the Regional Health Directorate, in reducing this incident of diabetes, hypertension, stroke and teenage pregnancy and all the other related diseases”, he said.

“We have tasked them to work hard in reducing incidents of non-communicable diseases, ” he added.

In her remarks, the chairperson of the National Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee for Health Promotion (ICC-HP), Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, said the integration of the ICC-HP’s functions into the RCCE committees will expand and strengthen the capacity to advise and guide health promotion strategies in line with the National Health Promotion Strategy.

She thus urge the members to embrace this transition with open minds and collaborative hearts, pooling our diverse expertise to foster innovation and enact real change.

The Northern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr Abdulai Abukari, in his welcome address stated, the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions of Ghana confront distinct health challenges, necessitating concerted efforts to address them effectively.

He said the revival of the ICC-HP under the auspices of the RCCE committees presents a strategic opportunity to leverage existing structures and resources in delivering comprehensive health promotion services to the communities.

The Deputy Chief of Party of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Alhassan Hudi in his statement urged other non-governmental institutions to partner government in the health sector to eradicate non communicable diseases in the country.

Story By: Alhassan Yakubu |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.