Latest news with #GhanaHealthService
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Health
- Gulf Insider
Ghana Reports Worst Monkeypox Outbreak Since 2022
Ghana has recorded 45 cases of monkeypox over the past month, marking the country's worst outbreak of the virus since 2022, according to the Ghana Health Service. No fatalities have been reported. The virus, which causes fever and a severe skin rash, has prompted authorities to implement a response plan that includes identifying, isolating, and treating patients, tracing contacts, vaccinating at risk healthcare workers, and launching a wide scale public awareness campaign. The Ghanaian government warned that case numbers are expected to rise in the coming days or weeks. Health authorities noted that the strain currently circulating in Ghana is considered less severe than the variant reported in Central Africa. Source Bahrain News Agency
Zawya
21-03-2025
- Health
- Zawya
World Health Organization (WHO) Supports Ghana's Efforts to Strengthen Nutrition Services with Essential Nutrition Actions Package
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reaffirmed its commitment to improving nutrition services, working with the Ghana Health Service and partners to adapt and provide printed copies of the revised Essential Nutrition Actions (ENAs) Package. The revised ENA marks a significant step in ensuring that frontline health workers have the necessary tools to implement comprehensive nutrition interventions at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level. The ENAs Package serves as a roadmap for integrating nutrition services into Ghana's Universal Health Coverage (UHC) strategy. It builds on the country's 2020-2030 UHC Roadmap, which prioritizes PHC as the foundation for improving service delivery. Ghana's revised ENAs package adopts a life-course approach recognizing that, addressing malnutrition requires interventions at all critical stages of life—from pregnancy through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, ensuring that no one is left behind. Since 2014, Ghana has implemented seven (7) ENAs, adapted from WHO's global framework. These actions targeted pregnant and lactating women and children under five and emphasized a few key interventions. However, to address emerging nutrition challenges—including childhood obesity and the long-term effects of poor nutrition, Ghana has updated its ENAs package, building on the previous and the latest evidence-based interventions to tackle malnutrition in all its forms. This revised package of 58 interventions is also aligned with the updated Global WHO ENAs Framework (2019), national health policies and guidelines. Speaking on the importance of this donation, Dr. Frank Lule, Officer in Charge of WHO Ghana, emphasized WHO's commitment to strengthening Ghana's health system. "Nutrition is a critical pillar of health and ensuring that healthcare providers have access to updated resources is essential for improving service delivery. This revised package will support health workers in delivering high-quality nutrition services across the country", he said. Received on behalf of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) by Madam Olivia Mawunyo Timpo, Deputy Director Nutrition - Family Health Division, expressed appreciation for WHO's continued support, noting that the provision of these materials will enhance capacity building and ensure that nutrition services are effectively integrated into primary health care delivery. She conveyed the department's appreciation to UNICEF and the academic community for their contributions to the document's adaptation. The newly printed ENAs materials include detailed interventions, guidelines for facility-based staff, and standardized training resources to ensure effective implementation of essential nutrition actions. These materials will be distributed across various healthcare facilities, empowering frontline health workers to provide comprehensive nutrition services to communities as part of a coordinated action from different sectors. Through initiatives like this, WHO and GHS continue to work together to enhance Ghana's health security and ensure that nutrition services remain a core component of the country's journey toward UHC. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO), Ghana.
Zawya
25-02-2025
- Health
- Zawya
World Health Organization (WHO) Provides Urgent Medical Support to Ghana to Combat Meningitis Outbreak
Ghana is experiencing a worsening bacterial meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region, straining the country's healthcare system as cases continue to climb. With limited resources and rising fatalities, health authorities are racing against time to contain the disease and provide critical treatment to those affected. In response to the escalating crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped in to provide much-needed technical and logistical support. As cases increased from 42 to 60, with 14 reported deaths, WHO donated 10,600 vials of Ceftriaxone, a potent antibiotic used in meningitis treatment. The donation, valued at approximately $23,000, was officially received by the Minister of Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, at a brief ceremony in Accra. The Minister immediately handed over the vials to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, for swift deployment to affected communities. Speaking at the handing over of the items, Dr. Frank Lule, Officer in Charge of WHO Ghana, reaffirmed WHO's commitment to Ghana's health systems. He said, 'This donation is another testament to WHO's commitment to strengthening Ghana's health systems. If additional vials are needed, we will be here to provide more support.' Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, emphasized the importance of WHO's support, saying: 'We are currently managing several outbreaks, and this timely donation is crucial. I'm about to brief Ghana's Parliament on our response and will highlight WHO's support.' In addition to medical supplies, WHO has dispatched Dr. Nicolō Binello, a Technical Officer specializing in Meningitis and Epidemic Bacterial Diseases from its headquarters in Geneva. Dr. Binello will work closely with national and local health authorities to strengthen clinical care and response strategies, ensuring effective treatment for patients and mitigating further spread of the disease. Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of Ghana Health Service, assured that the donation would be put to immediate use. 'This donation will go directly to the affected areas. WHO has also deployed a technical officer to support Ghana's meningitis response. We are truly grateful', he said. As part of its response, the Ghana Health Service has intensified public education campaigns, urging citizens to seek medical care at the earliest signs of meningitis symptoms. Additionally, treatment for meningitis is being offered free of charge in all health facilities to eliminate financial barriers and reduce mortality rates. The ongoing collaboration between WHO, Ghanaian health authorities, and local communities highlights a unified commitment to addressing the meningitis outbreak. Through strategic interventions, expert deployment, and resource mobilization, efforts are being intensified to curb the disease and safeguard public health. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ghana scrambles to fill $156 million shortfall after USAID freeze
The gutting of US foreign aid has left Ghana facing a $156 million funding shortfall, with the health care and agriculture sectors bracing for shortages of drugs and fertiliser. A funding freeze ordered by President Donald Trump at USAID, Washington's main foreign development arm, has upended the agency, seen thousands lose their jobs in the United States and abroad and halted humanitarian programmes across the world. "I don't know what's going to happen to me," an HIV patient in the capital Accra told AFP. He is one of an estimated 150,000 individuals in Ghana who depend on USAID-funded antiretroviral drugs and doctors have warned of potential disruptions to supplies. Medical supply chain issues are expected throughout the country, warned Abdulai Abukari, Northern Region medical director for the Ghana Health Service. "We are staring at potential stockouts, which could see a rise in preventable diseases, maternal deaths, and a resurgence of viruses like malaria and tuberculosis," he said. The funding pullback has affected US-funded "last mile" programmes which help health supplies reach rural areas. The halt to work at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which have left most of its initiatives in limbo, comes as the White House and Trump advisor Elon Musk have pushed false information about the agency as they allege fraud and wasteful spending. Legal challenges have mounted as the Trump administration pushes its budget slashing without congressional approval, and officials have claimed that life-saving programmes could be exempted. But in Ghana the funding disruptions are already biting. - Farmers without fertiliser - "It's terrifying to think that my survival depends on aid that can be taken away just like that," the HIV patient, who declined to share his name, said. The health sector is bracing for a $78.2 million shortfall, out of the $156 million hole the country now faces from the withdrawal of US-funded initiatives, said presidential spokesman Felix Kwakye Ofosu. Sulemana Iddrisu, a farmer in the country's north, is facing the upcoming rainy season worried he will not be able to get by without USAID-subsidized fertilisers or seeds. While the UN World Food Programme has noted progress over the past two decades in reducing hunger in Ghana, the rural north in particular is battling poverty, climate change and poor infrastructure. "If we don't get the fertilisers and seeds on time, our yields will drop drastically... it means less food in the markets, higher prices for everyone, and possible food shortages across the country," said 56-year-old Iddrisu. "That means less food for my family and less money to pay for my children's school fees," he told AFP. - Ally cut off - Ghana, a longtime US ally in the region, is looking for ways to plug the funding gaps including reallocation of funds toward essential programmes like malaria prevention, maternal health and HIV/AIDS treatment. The government is "engaging international partners and financial institutions, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Union, to secure grants and loans for sustaining key development projects," said Ofosu. President John Mahama in a statement said he instructed the finance ministry "to explore all possible funding avenues" to help critical sectors like health and agriculture "remain operational." Yet in the short term, many are worried. "It's good that the government is trying to step in," said Abukari, from the Ghana Health Service. "But without immediate international support, the situation could spiral out of control." For farmers like Iddrisu, the outlook is grim. "We can only pray," he said. bur-nro/tba/tw
