Features
Childhood vaccine shortage: A justification for Public Health Emergency Fund
• Availability of childhood vaccines would require more reliable source of funding
In February this year, there was uneasy calm among health workers and parents following reports of a widespread shortage of vaccines used for the routine immunisation of babies from birth to 18 months.
Vaccines said to be unavailable nationwide included Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), which primarily prevents the occurrence of tuberculosis in babies, and OPV, which prevents polio infections. Others that prevent diseases such as whooping cough and measles were also in short supply.
Health workers said although there had been shortages in the past, it was not as pervasive as the scarcity recorded in 10 of 16 administrative regions of the country.
The President of the Paediatrics Society of Ghana, Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, had stated that the delay in the supply of the vaccine could lead to an outbreak of childhood diseases, including measles. And true to her words and other concerns expressed by many interest groups, about 100 cases of measles were detected in Northern Ghana by the time the first batch of vaccines had arrived.
Delay in the supply of vaccines was partly attributed to the depreciating Cedi but the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu, at a press conference in Accra, explained that the situation was rather a “global challenge.” According to him, the shortage had nothing to do with the government owing suppliers but he gave the assurance that the situation would be resolved in due time.
To ease tension, the Health Minister indicated that no death was recorded as a result of the vaccine shortage.
Vaccination
Be that as it may, health experts say gaps in vaccination could “reduce immunity and require children to start the series all over again” hence the need to comply with recommended vaccine schedules. This, perhaps, explains the anxiety expressed by parents and health practitioners when the vaccines were taking too long to arrive.
Children are exposed to thousands of germs every day due to the food they eat, the air they breathe, and the things they put in their mouths. Because their immune system is not fully developed at birth, they are susceptible to infections and serious illnesses. Vaccines, therefore, help build their natural defenses and reduce the risk of contracting diseases.
It was, therefore, refreshing that good consignments were procured pending the delivery of additional supplies, as indicated by the government. Considering that it was the first time such a massive shortage was recorded, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman speaking on the floor of Parliament assured that the phenomenon would not occur again.
Shortage
During the period of the shortage, Private Health Practitioner, Dr. Amanda Nhyirah Biyeh, explained that facilities that did not have the vaccines relied on vitamins to “help sustain the children for some time.”
“Thirty percent of patients that come to our facility are pregnant women and children who come for vaccination. Sometimes there is an argument between nurses, doctors, and parents when we tell them there are no vaccines.”
“What we do is to give them vitamin B12, folic acid, and omega 3 fatty acids. These are the ones that help boost the immune system and help prevent some sickness until the children can go back and start their vaccination schedules again,” she noted.
Following the delivery of the first batch of vaccines on March 11, 2023, health workers are ensuring that parents who missed out on the routine vaccination would do the necessary “catch up”.
Donors
According to the Health Ministry, about $6.4 million had been paid to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which supplies the vaccines. Mr Agyeman, speaking on the floor of Parliament, did not indicate when the payments were made and what might have caused the delay.
As we await the delivery of the second batch of vaccines, the assurances and explanations given by the Health Ministry is an indication of the financial hurdle the country had to overcome to procure the vaccines.
To this extent, the government and health authorities cannot gloss over the fact that the availability of childhood vaccines in the future would require a more reliable source of funding.
Analysis presented by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non profit organisation focusing on national health issues indicated that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), since its launch in 2000, had disbursed over $18 billion to support immunization efforts in low and middle-income countries, including Ghana.
GAVI is an independent public-private partnership and multilateral funding mechanism that aims at expanding global access to and use of vaccines, particularly among vulnerable children.
In 2017, development partners funded at least 19% of the country’s health expenditure but stakeholders say Ghana’s shift from low-income to middle-income status implies that the country would be “ineligible to receive concessional aid in the future.”
Civil Society Organisations and other health agencies agree that the loss of support from donor agencies could negatively impact the health system, such as procurement of medical products, availability of human resources, and lack of technical capacity to continue activities formally led by donors.
This and many factors give credence to why the country must stop paying lip service to the establishment of a Public Health Emergency Fund (PHEF) as captured in Ghana’s (2022- 2025) Medium Term Development Framework.
PHEF
The establishment of the fund would, undoubtedly, go a long way to help mobilise and disburse resources to respond effectively to potential health and humanitarian crisis in the future.
Although no casualty was recorded during the period of the shortage, one cannot imagine a future situation where children would not receive their recommended vaccines because there are no funds to procure same.
Again, a standby fund for health emergencies would have mitigated the recent inconveniences caused by the shortage of childhood vaccines. In the words of Dr. Biyeh, “we do not have to run out of vaccines.” According to her, the availability of funds would help in the procurement of enough cold chain facilities to store the vaccines.
“If the fund is established it would help the health centres a lot. The funds would ensure that we do not have to wait for a long time to raise funds or receive vaccines from elsewhere,” she said.
The government continues to play its part by raising domestic revenue to support the health budget. But to build a more resilient and responsive health system, we would have to look beyond external partners and fast-track the establishment of a Public Health Emergency Fund.
It would not only help us respond quickly to avoidable situations, such as the shortage of vaccines for childhood immunisation but would help provide adequate and sustained funding or backing for the country’s fragile public health system.
Availability of childhood vaccines would require more reliable source of funding
By Ernest Nutsugah
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
