An Analysis Of The Contribution Of The Global Fund In The Health Sector Of Developing Countries: The Case Of Ghana

ABSTRACT The health sector is one of the under-resourced areas in most developing countries. The advent of human security following the 1994 UNDP report has increased the recognition of health in a security dimension and promoted further investments in the sector. In the last decade, Global Health Initiatives (GHIs) like the Global Fund have changed the landscape and architecture of health investments in most developing countries. The Global Fund currently plays a dominant role in the fight against three major infectious diseases in the world. This study analyses the contribution of the Global Fund in the health sector of developing countries using Ghana as a case study. The qualitative research approach was employed to gather, analyse and interpret data. In all, five interviews were conducted, and these respondents were carefully selected for the study. Based on interviews and secondary sources, the study identified several gaps in Ghana’s health sector, which have provided room for the Global Fund to contribute to the health sector. The research identified the entire population, including key populations like Female Sex Workers as focus groups of Global Fund operations in Ghana. From the study, the Global Fund has made significant contributions such as assisting the government to reduce disease burden, promoting human resources for health, refurbishment of facilities and empowering civil societies, in the health sector. The study further revealed that the Global Fund contributes indirectly to health policies of Ghana and identified inadequate skilled personnel, occasional conflicts of interests, issues of programme sustainability and cultural beliefs as factors inhibiting the Global Fund’s interventions in Ghana. The study recommends that the government and Global Fund should increase dialogue, intensify health education and cooperate to enhance health personnel capacity. The government should further regulate health staff transfers and increase health budget allocation to promote health development in the country.