Health

Accra – Diana Adom*, 54, was diagnosed with schizophrenia eight years ago, a mental health condition that devastated her life before she finally got the care she needed, including the medication that set her on the path to recovery.“I was hearing voices of people telling me hurtful things. I became hostile and my relationship with society changed, leading to the collapse of my marriage,” recalls Adom, from who lives in Konongo, a town in Ghana’s central Ashanti region. Living in an environment of widespread stigma and abuse from family and...

Accra, Ghana – A tragic explosion that levelled the entire village of Appiatse in Ghana’s Western region in January 2022, taking the life of Grace Essien’s* husband, literally halted life as they knew it for her and their three children.Traumatized and grieving, the 30-year-old recalls feeling like her world had ended. “That was one of the most difficult times in my life. I was so devastated that, even after a few weeks, hearing any sounds at all was just driving me crazy.” It took six months of rigorous mental health and...

Accra, Ghana – When Cynthia Adjei* had an episode of an acute mental health condition in her junior high school in 2021, she was greeted with derision. This led to a deep depression that threatened her future education as she couldn’t bear to face her fellow pupils.“I never wanted to go back to school because I felt that everyone was staring at me and making comments as I passed by,” the now 18-year-old teen recalls. “All I could imagine was people talking about me,  and laughing.”It took weeks of mental...

Accra, Ghana - Addressing gender barriers and inequities in access and use of health services has been identified as a key to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly universal health coverage as enshrined in SDG three.In Ghana, the Ministry of Health recently inaugurated the Health Sector Gender Focal Technical Group with representatives from over 20 agencies. The mandate of the working group is to support the review process and update of the Health Sector Gender Policy and to ensure gender mainstreaming activities in the various agencies.Currently, the...

Now, the country has taken steps to leverage digital technology to promote the active participation of adolescents in the implementation of Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health (AYFH) Services.  MoreAdolescent datasource...

Since 2019, WHO has been supporting Ghana in deploying a web-based platform for monitoring quality Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services (AFYHS) standards. The platform, which has been deployed to 43 schools in four regions aims to empower adolescents to actively participate in monitoring the quality of healthcare services specifically designed for their needs. One of the key outcomes from the WHO web-based platform was the need to ensure adolescent and youth health promotion materials are accessible to all regardless of their abilities. The lack of accessible materials for young people...

Accra, Ghana - Quality Health leadership has been recognized as a key to ensuring progress in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goal three on health. At the 70th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held in August 2020, Ministers of Health recommended that the WHO Leadership Programme for Health Transformation in Africa, be extended to Ministries of Health in the Region. In Ghana, WHO and the Ministry of Health, with support from the UK Department of Health and Social Care through the health workforce programme are...

Accra, Ghana - From 2021 to 2023, a strategic partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Kingdom Government through the Department of Health and Social Care (UK-DHSC) helped to transform Ghana’s health workforce to better contribute to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the health workforce programme.The initiative enabled over 13 156 healthcare workers, including 5797 females across the country to benefit from improved capacity to be able to respond to emerging health challenges and help to build a resilient health system towards the attainment...

Accra, Ghana - Over the years, Ghana has made significant efforts to improve adolescent health through the establishment of the Ghana Adolescent Health and Development programme. Despite the progress that has been made, the limited participation of young people in decision making has long been recognized as an obstacle to achieving optimum adolescent health.Now, the country has taken steps to leverage digital technology to promote the active participation of adolescents in the implementation of Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health (AYFH) Services.Since 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) with support from...

Accra, Ghana - The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has named Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah as a Public Health Champion in recognition of his outstanding contribution to global public health.The award was conferred on Dr Asamoa-Baah and other public health figures at the WHO 75 anniversary awards held at the margins of the 73rd WHO Regional Committee for Africa Meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana.“This award is in recognition of your outstanding service to public health and promotion of the wellbeing of the people of the people of...