New York Times: Sending Health to Rural Ghana via Traveling Medics
Andrew Green, freelance foreign correspondent

“…Ghana is one of numerous countries turning to [community health workers (CHWs)]. … In Ghana, the government has long relied on local volunteers to deliver health care services to those who live far from the nearest facility. But … now the Ghanaian government has begun to pay CHWs. Other countries have attempted similar initiatives, but the scale and the speed of Ghana’s effort make it distinctive. If it succeeds, it could signal a path toward universal health programs for other countries. … [A]s governments move to introduce paid CHWs, they must consider how they will maintain those programs. … There have been some problems. While the government has agreed to pay the CHWs’ salaries, funding gaps remain. … [I]t remains unclear whether the new administration will be as committed to the program as [the former Ghanian president] was…” (8/1).