In a Joint Canadian and European Parliamentary studytour, EPF took from 21-28 July 2007 eight Parliamentarians from, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Cyprus and Portugal to Ghana. During the weeklong studytour participants were introduced to the successes and challenges related to sexual and reproductive health in Ghana.

During the weeklong studytour participants were introduced to the successes and challenges related to sexual and reproductive health in Ghana through a multi-stakeholder meeting, including representatives from the Ghanaian Parliamentary Caucus on Population and Development, UNFPA, the National Population Council, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana and Professor Sai, Presidential Advisor on Population, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS. An open forum followed the presentations whereby the Members of Parliament from Europe and Canada raised issues and questions on the impact of the global gag rule on SRHR funding and activities in Ghana, why Ghana has been relatively successful in comparison to certain other African countries and whether adequate financial resources are available for the implementation of SRHR initiatives in Ghana.
 

Key objectives of the study tour to Ghana:
- to inform Canadian and European Parliamentarians of the unmet sexual and reproductive health needs of Ghanaians
- to raise awareness and reinforce commitment of European Parliamentarians for reproductive health programmes and reproductive health supplies
- to enable participating Parliamentarians to gain first-hand experience of the reality of the Sexual and Reproductive Health
and Rights situation in a developing country 
- to stimulate new thinking among Parliamentarians about efforts they could undertake in support of SRHR in the
development policies of their own countries

Key findings
Health and health care infrastructure

• the standard of health care provision in Ghana is commendable in comparison to certain other African countries
• there are nevertheless huge health infrastructural needs in the rural areas and this need is also increasing in urban areas given the expanding urban population

Sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS
 

• Health services are effectively integrating sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS
• Ghana is making strong efforts to tackle infant mortality, mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and disease prevention such as malaria and TB and aims to half the current rate of infant mortality by 2015
• The maternal mortality rate is still very high and there is a huge lack of midwives throughout the country. Although neonatal care is universal, only 50% of women receive labour care. Ghana is not on track to meet the maternal health Millennium Development Goal
• There is no budget line for reproductive health and the health sector is lacking financial resources to scale-up successful initiatives
• The Queen mothers initiative is proving very successful in caring for and reducing the stigma attached to AIDS orphans
• Many NGOs are not financially secure and are over-reliant on donor funding

Human resources

• there is an urgent need to increase the number of nurses, doctors and midwives in Ghana and the number of medical training schools
• the brain drain phenomenon is strongly affecting human resources in the health sector in Ghana and mechanisms need to be put in place in both the country of origin and country of destination in order to tackle this problem
  
   

Governance

Ø the political context in Ghana is stable, there is a free opposition and freedom of speech and the Government is supportive of sexual and reproductive health programmes

Ø there is a need to strengthen Government accountability in Ghana through strengthening the advocacy role of NGOs and through mobilizing communities to put demands on their Government in terms of health service provision

Ø law enforcement needs to be strengthened in order to ensure respect for human rights, such as the law against the Trokosi practices

Ø Parliamentary oversight and budgetary scrutiny needs to be strengthened given the new trend of directing aid through general budget support in recipient countries

Participants

Keith Martin , Canada, Liberal
Raynell Andreychuck (Senator) , Canada, Conservative
Cecilia Wikström, Sweden, Liberal
Wolfgang Wodarg, Germany, Socialist
Sibylle Pfeiffer, Germany, Christian Democrats
Ute Granold, Germany, Christian Democrats
Eleni Theocharous, Cyprus, Democratic Rally
Teresa Caeiro, Portugal, Conservative