Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Access to quality healthcare is a key requirement in every modern society. In
developed countries, majority of the populace has access to quality and affordable
healthcare. However, in developing countries such as Ghana, hospitals with
quality infrastructure, healthcare equipment, drugs, and well-trained health
practitioners are limited and expensive to access. Given the significant number of
people living in extreme poverty in Ghana, it is not surprising that many people
experience deterioration in their health and eventually die due to the inability to
access and/or afford quality healthcare. In the current situation, where economic
hardship keeps increasing in the country, there is a need to engage in a discussion
on how healthcare can be made available and affordable to people of all economic
classes. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to assess the limitations that
poverty places on people in their quest to access healthcare and offer solutions
from theological and pastoral perspectives. This paper employed qualitative and
historical descriptive research designs to describe the current state of affairs of the
impact that poverty has on access to health care in Ghana. The paper used data
collected from secondary sources such as books, journal articles and dissertations.
After a careful analysis of the subject matter from the Ghanaian and biblical
perspectives, the paper made recommendations for the nation (Ghana), the church,
and all stakeholders to contribute to the provision of quality, accessible, and
affordable healthcare for all irrespective of one’s financial background or
economic status.
Keywords: Poverty, Hindrance, Quality Health, Ghana
