Ghana News

Ghana has announced the roll out of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme in a press briefing held on 10th April 2019 in Accra.  The event was attended by the WHO Country Representative Dr Owen Kaluwa and other Officers from the Country Office, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service Dr Anthony Nsiah- Asare, Officials from the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI), representatives of MVIP Evaluation Partners, Officials from Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA), Coalition of NGOs in Health, representatives from UNICEF and a cross section of media from print, TV and Radio.

The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF has launched a sub national campaign aimed to vaccinate 5.3 million people against yellow fever in nine regions in Ghana. The event took place in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Honourable Deputy Minister for Health, Mr Aboagye Gyedu, has called on all to embrace the preventive approach towards the fight against diabetes which includes healthy diets, regular physical activities, maintaining a normal body weight and monitoring blood sugar levels.  He made this statement during this year’s World Diabetes Day Celebration at Bibiani in the Western Region of Ghana under the theme “The family and Diabetes: it is our collective responsibility”. 

Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, has said everyone, including health workers, must get involved in the antibiotic resistance campaign and urged the public to be cautious when patronizing antibiotics and to seek advice from health professionals for appropriate action.
He said antibiotic resistance had come about due to many complicated factors and needed to be tackled holistically.
The Minister said this in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of this year’s World Antibiotics Awareness Week (WAAW) on the theme: “Think Twice. Seek Advice,” in Accra.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Health Partners have launched a six-day national Measles-Rubella vaccination and Vitamin A supplement campaign to improve the general health and survival of Ghanaian children, under the theme, “Measles-Rubella Kills; Vaccinate Your Child Now for Good Life”.
The campaign, aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages to help reduce the number of measles-rubella cases in the country.

Dr Owen Laws Kaluwa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, has called on the Government to develop and strengthen evidence-based programmes to address the mental health needs of young people.
He urged the Government to put in place deliberate interventions, with the support of national policy-makers and programme managers, to prioritise and advocate for funding to finance the mental needs of the country, with special emphasis on adolescents and young people.

Ghana on 02 August, 2018 made strides when it launched its Parliamentary TB Caucus. The launch of this body was done by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Honorable Joseph Osei-Wusu. This event organized by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health in collaboration with the Stop TB Partnership and the Aurum Institute took place at the Parliament House.

As part activities of the 2018 breastfeeding week celebration in Ghana, the Ghana Health Service and its health partners organized a media briefing and orientation on the importance of breastfeeding at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
Speaking at the function, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), , said although the country has made appreciable strides in promoting Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF), rates, have stagnated in the recent past.

WHO Ghana has donated to the Ghana Health Service, Emergency Reproductive Health Kits (clean delivery kits). The kits are worth over GHS 800 000 and can service about 10 000 women for a period of three months.

In a brief handing over ceremony, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Owen Kaluwa mentioned that the emergency kits where originally prepositioned in Ghana for emergencies and have been in store for some time now.  However, considering the lifespan of some of the items, permission has been granted by AFRO to hand over the kits to the Service.