Bill Gates pledges more support for Ghana's health system

The co-founder of Microsoft and second wealthiest person in the world, Bill Gates, has expressed his willingness to increase support to Ghana’s disease control programmes.

Tuberculosis, malaria and HIV are the main diseases to benefit from the increased assistance from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the foundation he co-founded with his wife.

Mr Gates gave the assurance Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.

The American business magnate, investor, programmer, inventor and philanthropist is the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen.

He set up the Gates Foundation in 1994 to enhance health care, reduce extreme poverty and expand educational opportunities and access to information technology across the globe.

The foundation had an endowment of US$36.2 billion as of September 30, 2012.

It is already supporting disease control programmes for tuberculosis, malaria and HIV in Ghana.

Mr Gates, the 2013 Forbes magazine's second richest man, said he was in Ghana for the first time to learn about the health system, especially in the areas of immunisation of children and the use of data to treat people.

He said he had great respect for Ghana's health system and indicated that his foundation wanted to replicate Ghana's experience elsewhere.

Mr Gates mentioned agriculture and sanitation as some of the areas that the Gates Foundation was willing to support.

Responding, President Mahama commended Mr Gates for his numerous forms of support for Ghana's public healthcare system, especially in the areas of HIV/AIDS.

He mentioned the school feeding programme, the fight against malaria and maternal health care as some of the areas receiving support from the Gates Foundation.

President Mahama said the support from the Gates Foundation had helped boost the nutritional needs of children and increased school enrolment, making Ghana  reach the universal enrolment level.

He gave an assurance that the government was adopting new ways of tackling the sanitation situation in the country.

SOURCE: DAILY GRAPHIC