The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has convened a National Policy Dialogue aimed at reshaping Ghana’s health workforce to better meet the demands of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Under the theme “Transforming Ghana’s Health Workforce for UHC: Align, Invest, and Sustain,” the dialogue focused on a range of pressing challenges, including the uneven distribution of health workers across the country, persistent shortages in critical skills, and the increasing migration of trained health professionals to other countries.
Participants discussed strategies to clearly define the strategic roles of healthcare workers, optimize Ghana’s health labour market, and mobilize sustainable investments in human resources for health (HRH).
Key discussions emphasized the need for comprehensive planning to ensure that healthcare workers are not only adequately trained but also equitably deployed, especially to underserved regions. There were also calls for the government to prioritize long-term investments in HRH to build a resilient health system capable of delivering quality services nationwide.
Stakeholders from government agencies, healthcare institutions, academia, professional associations, and development partners attended the dialogue. Their collective input will feed into the formulation of updated national policies aimed at strengthening Ghana’s health workforce for the future.
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with all partners to implement the outcomes of the dialogue, ensuring that no region or community is left behind in the quest for accessible, high-quality healthcare for all.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Ghana’s Ministry of Health (MoH) with a consignment of essential medical supplies to bolster efforts in combating the ongoing meningitis outbreak.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Accra, Dr. Frank Lule, WHO Representative to Ghana, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting the country’s health sector.
“We are pleased to contribute to Ghana’s fight against meningitis. WHO remains ready to provide additional technical and logistical support as needed,” he stated.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health, Hon. Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, assured the public that the outbreak remains under control, with swift measures being implemented to contain its spread.
“We have adequate antibiotics to treat affected individuals, and a response team will be deployed to the northern region to provide further assistance,” he disclosed.
The Minister urged the public to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms, emphasizing that early treatment is critical in saving lives.
The donated supplies include Ceftriaxone, a key antibiotic used in meningitis treatment, with the current stock expected to cover over 300 patients. Given that the outbreak has been detected in the northern regions, the consignment will be swiftly transported to Wa to strengthen response efforts in affected areas.
A recent meningitis outbreak in Ghana has raised concerns among health officials and the general public. According to reports, 30 cases of meningitis have been recorded in the Upper West Region, resulting in 14 deaths.
Health authorities continue to monitor the situation, ensuring a coordinated approach in tackling the disease and preventing further spread.
Approximately 12 million individuals in Ghana are at risk of contracting Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr. Frank Lule.
Dr. Lule attributed the ongoing risk to a lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and proper hygiene facilities, which continue to fuel the spread of NTDs, especially in underserved communities.
He made these remarks during the observance of World NTDs Day 2025, held at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, under the global theme: “Unite, Act to Eliminate NTDs.”
NTDs are a broad range of conditions that predominantly affect tropical areas, where they thrive in impoverished communities. These diseases are caused by various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins, resulting in significant health, social, and economic consequences.
World NTDs Day, which has been celebrated annually since 2020, aims to raise awareness and accelerate efforts to meet the World Health Organization’s targets of controlling, eliminating, and eradicating NTDs by 2030.
Dr. Lule highlighted that NTDs remain a major health challenge for millions, particularly in rural and underserved regions of Ghana. He emphasized the need for coordinated action across all sectors to combat the diseases.
He also pointed out the substantial progress made globally, such as through Mass Administration Campaigns that have significantly reduced lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.
He said, “Even here in Ghana, we have already eradicated guinea worm, trachoma and eradicated African trypanosomiasis.”
As the country steps up efforts to address NTDs, he stressed the importance of renewed partnerships and collaborations.
“We must foster stronger collaboration between government, civil society, academia and the private sector and together with the academia we can mobilise resources in fighting the diseases,” he added.
Dr. Hafiz Adam Taher, Chief Director at the Ministry of Health (MOH), reiterated the government’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which focuses on promoting health and well-being for all citizens.
He commended the Ministry’s significant role in the fight against NTDs, particularly in strengthening the Inter-Country Coordinating Committee (ICCC) on Health and Care.
Dr. Taher, also the Chairman of the NTD ICCC, pointed out key achievements, including the inclusion of NTD services in the National Health Insurance Scheme and the integration of NTD data into the Home Visit Registrar for Early Detection.
Dr. Chrysantus Kubio, Volta Regional Director of Health Services, explained that the theme for this year emphasizes the importance of community involvement, securing political will, mobilizing resources, and fostering leadership to address NTDs in affected districts in Ghana.
He also noted that NTDs have been overlooked in the global health agenda, hence the need to raise awareness about their elimination, share successful approaches, and identify challenges hindering progress toward their eradication.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that the Akosombo Dam spillage in October 2023 exposed significant gaps in Ghana’s mental health support systems, emphasizing the need for psychological care during public health emergencies.
The disaster, which led to severe flooding across parts of the Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra regions, displaced thousands of residents and caused widespread destruction. Beyond the physical damage, the floods triggered profound psychological distress among affected communities, highlighting the urgent need for mental health services.
In the aftermath, many families were left homeless, losing their possessions and livelihoods. Children faced trauma from losing their sense of safety, while parents battled feelings of helplessness. Health workers, some of whom were also flood victims, struggled to support others while managing their own emotional burdens, according to the WHO.
Dr. Leveana Gyimah, Technical Officer for Mental Health at WHO, stressed the importance of integrating mental health care into disaster response efforts.
“Floods and other natural disasters don’t just destroy property—they leave deep emotional scars. The psychological impact can be long-lasting, affecting not just individuals but entire communities. By integrating mental health and psychosocial support into the flood response, we’ve been able to bring relief to those most affected and build the capacity of health workers to address these needs,” she stated.
Recognizing the need for psychosocial support, WHO, with funding from UK in Ghana, collaborated with Ghana Health Services and the Mental Health Authority to provide mental health services to flood victims. The initiative focused on both direct counseling for survivors and capacity-building for health workers to handle trauma cases effectively.
Among the beneficiaries was Richard Sedem Ahakutor, a mental health nurse from Sogakope, who faced his own mental health challenges during the disaster.
“The flood was overwhelming. I lost everything, and at the same time, I was expected to help others cope. It became too much to handle. Thanks to the support I received through this intervention, I was able to get back on my feet and continue supporting my community,” he shared.
Dr. Senanu Kwesi Dzokoto, Volta Regional Director of Ghana Health Services, underscored the broader implications of the flood on Ghana’s health systems.
“Emergencies like this expose the gaps in our mental health support systems. WHO’s collaboration with the Mental Health Authority has allowed us to respond effectively to the needs of flood victims, ensuring that both residents and health workers receive the help they deserve. This intervention has been a critical step toward building a more resilient health system,” he said.
To provide comprehensive care, the initiative deployed clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to offer counseling and psychiatric services. Dr. Richard Dei-Asamoa, a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, emphasized the importance of mental health care in disaster situations.
“Mental health is often overlooked during emergencies, but it is one of the most critical aspects of recovery. People need help to process their grief, anxiety, and trauma. This initiative has demonstrated how integrating mental health and psychosocial support services into disaster response can truly transform lives and communities,” he noted.
The WHO’s intervention has not only provided immediate relief but also strengthened Ghana’s mental health support systems, ensuring lasting benefits for both flood survivors and healthcare providers. The initiative continues to highlight the critical importance of mental health care in disaster response frameworks.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has initiated legal proceedings against the government to secure compensation for all victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage.
Ghana recorded 52 drowning fatalities in 2022, with males making up 63% of these deaths, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghana Navy.
The findings underscore a clear gender disparity, as females accounted for 37% of drowning incidents. Experts attribute the higher male fatalities to increased involvement in water-related activities, such as fishing, boating, and swimming, often without adequate safety measures like lifeguards or life jackets.
The WHO data also highlights age-related risks. Young adults between 15 and 29 years recorded the highest proportion at 33%. Individuals aged 30 to 49 years accounted for 25%, while children aged 5 to 14 years made up 17%. Notably, 12% of drowning victims were children under 4 years, reflecting their heightened vulnerability.
While Ghana has some drowning prevention initiatives, such as regional lifejacket policies, critical measures like water safety education in schools and community rescue training remain limited. The lack of flood risk management strategies further exacerbates the issue.
Globally, drowning remains a significant public health issue. The first-ever Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention by the WHO details progress made in addressing drowning fatalities worldwide. The report notes that the global drowning death rate declined by 38 percent between 2000 and 2021. However, more than 300,000 fatalities were still recorded in 2021, underscoring the severity of the problem.
Regional disparities remain stark. While the WHO European Region saw a 68 percent decline in its drowning death rate between 2000 and 2021, the WHO African Region experienced only a 3 percent drop over the same period. With a drowning rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people, Africa has the highest rate globally, yet only 15 percent of countries in the region have a drowning prevention strategy compared to 45 percent in Europe.
The WHO warns that if current trends persist, drowning could claim over 7.2 million lives, mainly children, by the year 2050. Alarmingly, over 30 people are estimated to drown every hour, with nearly half of these fatalities occurring among individuals under the age of 29 and a quarter among children under 5 years.
The report underscores that most drowning deaths are preventable through the implementation of WHO-recommended interventions, including: installing barriers to restrict child access to water; providing safe play areas for pre-school children away from water; teaching school-aged children swimming, water safety, and safe rescue skills; training communities in rescue and resuscitation techniques; raising public awareness on drowning risks; enforcing regulations for safe boating, shipping, and ferry operations; and improving flood risk management strategies.
Global measles cases surged by 20% in 2023, infecting an estimated 10.3 million people, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The rise in cases, attributed to inadequate vaccination coverage, underscores the urgent need to address global immunization gaps.
Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, more than 22 million children missed their first dose in 2023. Only 83% of children worldwide received the first dose of the measles vaccine last year, while just 74% received the critical second dose. WHO stresses that 95% coverage of two doses is necessary to prevent outbreaks and safeguard communities from this highly contagious disease.
“The measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To stop this deadly virus and protect the most vulnerable, we must ensure immunization for everyone, no matter where they live.”
Death Toll
Measles remains deadly, with an estimated 107,500 people—mostly children under five—dying from the disease in 2023. While this represents an 8% decrease from 2022, the high mortality rate emphasizes the dire consequences of vaccination gaps. Survivors of measles often face severe complications, including blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis, leading to long-term health issues.
Ghana’s Immunization Response
In Ghana, the fight against measles took center stage last month when the Ghana Health Service launched a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting children aged nine to 59 months. The campaign, held from October 2 to October 6, 2024, aimed to prevent outbreaks following eight confirmed cases in the Volta Region earlier this year.
Regional and Global Impacts
Large or disruptive outbreaks were reported in 57 countries in 2023, nearly a 60% increase from 36 countries in 2022. The WHO African, Eastern Mediterranean, and South-East Asia regions were hardest hit, with Africa accounting for nearly half of the significant outbreaks.
While 82 countries achieved or maintained measles elimination by the end of 2023, progress remains fragile. Recent successes, such as Brazil’s revalidation as a measles-free country, highlight the importance of high vaccination coverage and robust health systems.
Strengthening Global Efforts
WHO and CDC emphasize the need for urgent and targeted vaccination campaigns, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected regions. Strengthening disease surveillance and improving routine immunization programs are critical to mitigating outbreaks and accelerating progress toward global measles elimination.
The alarming increase in measles cases calls for collective global action to protect vulnerable populations and meet the elimination goals outlined in the Immunization Agenda 2030.
On this year’s World Mental Health Day, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, disclosed that one in six working-age adults globally is grappling with mental health challenges.
As millions of individuals navigate the pressures of modern work environments, the WHO is collaborating with partners to emphasize the crucial link between mental health and work, advocating for urgent reforms to ensure that workplaces actively support mental well-being.
“To my colleagues and any employee out there: If you’re struggling with your mental health, don’t stay silent. It’s OK to talk about it and seek help,” Dr Tedros posted on X (formerly Twitter), encouraging employees to break the silence on mental health concerns.
With nearly 60% of the global population engaged in work, the WHO is calling for concerted efforts from governments, employers, and stakeholders to foster safe, supportive work environments. Healthy workplaces, according to the WHO, serve as protective factors for mental health, while poor working conditions—such as harassment, discrimination, and burnout—can significantly affect employees’ well-being and productivity.
1 in 6 working-age adults experience mental health challenges.
To my colleagues and any employee out there:
If you're struggling with your mental health, don’t stay silent.
The WHO stresses that decent work not only offers financial stability but also provides a sense of purpose, belonging, and structure, all of which are beneficial to mental health. However, many workers face risks that threaten their mental well-being, from excessive workloads and long hours to job insecurity and limited career growth opportunities.
These psychosocial risks can hinder individuals from performing their jobs effectively, affecting attendance, job satisfaction, and even the ability to secure employment in the first place.
For people with existing mental health conditions, the workplace can either contribute to recovery and inclusion or exacerbate challenges. The WHO emphasizes that with the right support, people living with mental health conditions should be empowered to participate fully and thrive in their professional environments.
#MentalHealth is a right for everyone, especially at work, where we face daily pressure.
Employers, create a culture where employees feel supported and valued.
When mental health thrives, so does your business.
This support can take many forms, including reasonable accommodations such as flexible working hours, extended deadlines, and phased return-to-work programs after mental health-related absences.
In response to these challenges, the WHO recommends a multi-pronged approach to improve mental health in the workplace. This includes:
Preventing Mental Health Conditions
WHO advises employers to implement organizational interventions aimed at managing workplace stressors and promoting healthier work conditions. For example, allowing flexible work arrangements or establishing protocols to combat violence and harassment can significantly reduce risks to mental health.
Protecting and Promoting Mental Health
Training for managers on recognizing and responding to mental health challenges, along with fostering open communication, can greatly enhance the workplace environment. Additionally, educating workers on mental health literacy can help reduce stigma and improve understanding of mental health issues in the workplace.
Supporting Workers with Mental Health Conditions
Accommodations that cater to the unique needs of workers with mental health conditions are essential. Return-to-work programs and supported employment initiatives can also help individuals transition back into work while managing their mental health.
Creating an Enabling Environment
The WHO calls on both governments and employers to prioritize mental health at work by integrating mental health policies, ensuring adequate funding for mental health initiatives, and aligning workplace laws with international human rights standards.
The current economic landscape, worsened by crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has also amplified mental health challenges. Job losses, financial instability, and increased stressors have further highlighted the importance of addressing mental health at work.
For a healthier future, the WHO emphasizes that all stakeholders must collaborate to ensure that work not only prevents risks to mental health but actively promotes and supports mental well-being.
By investing in evidence-based approaches and fostering a culture of care, employers can create environments where everyone feels valued and supported, ultimately improving productivity and quality of life for workers globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that 26 million Africans are currently facing some degree of visual impairment, highlighting the critical eye health challenges across the continent.
Africa is home to one in every six blind people worldwide, underscoring the region’s struggle to provide adequate eye care services.
Despite some progress in integrating eye health into primary healthcare systems, efforts to combat visual impairment are being undermined by a severe shortage of financial and human resources.
According to WHO, only 14% of Africans in need of cataract surgery receive the procedure, leaving millions without access to treatment. Additionally, over 80% of people with short-sightedness go untreated, a stark contrast to other regions like North America, Western Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, where untreated rates are less than 10%.
Further statistics indicate that just 12% of Africans requiring glasses or surgery for blurred vision receive the necessary care. This lack of treatment comes at a significant economic cost, with the global annual burden of uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts estimated at US$14.3 billion.
In addition to existing challenges, new eye health concerns are emerging due to ageing populations, unhealthy lifestyles, and the rise of non-communicable diseases across Africa. While the WHO has reported a decline in vision loss caused by Vitamin A deficiency, onchocerciasis, and trachoma, these emerging issues pose a growing threat to eye health.
👁️ DO check your vision! ⚠️ Early detection of eye diseases is crucial for preventing future vision loss.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressed the importance of eye care, stating: “The focus on eye care is critical, given the multiple positive impacts of good vision on all aspects of life, from overall well-being to academic achievements. The contribution to economic growth is also significant, raising the urgency of building on the gains already made while addressing the emerging challenges.”
In response to the crisis, WHO is working to integrate eye health services into primary care as part of its broader goal of achieving universal health coverage. However, this approach faces obstacles, including a shortage of human resources and limited infrastructure. WHO is advocating for innovative solutions, increased community engagement, and collaboration across sectors to address these barriers.
Over the past two years, WHO has provided technical support to six African countries—Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Zambia. This support includes conducting national situational analyses, developing strategic plans, monitoring frameworks, and planning for workforce needs. WHO has also helped these countries integrate eye care indicators into their existing health information systems.
To further its mission, WHO launched the SPECS 2030 initiative, which aims to improve access to spectacles for those with refractive errors. The initiative seeks to raise the effective coverage of refractive error (eREC) to 40% by 2030, with Liberia and Mozambique among the first countries to begin implementation.
In addition to these efforts, WHO has introduced a self-assessment tool called WHOeyes. This tool, available in multiple languages, allows users to check their visual acuity and access educational messages promoting healthy eye habits.
WHO continues to provide resources such as the World Report on Vision and the Eye Care in Health Systems: Guide for Action, which outline strategic recommendations for implementing integrated, people-centred eye care. These resources serve as blueprints for African countries working to improve eye health services and reduce the growing burden of visual impairment across the continent.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have raised concerns that the mpox outbreak across the continent remains uncontrolled, with infections still rising in several nations.
Following the identification of a new variant, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
African countries are grappling with this latest health crisis, coming so soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed significant weaknesses in the region’s healthcare systems.
According to Africa CDC data, mpox cases have surged by 177%, while deaths have risen by 38.5% compared to the same time last year.
“We can say today that mpox is not under control in Africa. We still have this increase of cases that is worrying for all of us,” Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, told a weekly briefing on the outbreak.
In one week 2,912 new cases were reported compared with the previous week including a new country, Morocco, where a case was reported, confirming the spread of the disease in all four regions of the continent.
So far, 15 of the 55 member states of the African Union have reported cases, Africa CDC said.
“We still have people dying frommpox in Africa. In one week, we lost 14 people,” Kaseya added.
He noted that in countries like Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two different strains of the disease were circulating. However, due to inadequate surveillance and testing capabilities, it is unclear whether this is also happening in other nations.
Kaseya mentioned that Rwanda has already initiated its vaccination campaign, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, the outbreak’s epicentre, is expected to begin vaccinations in early October.
Named “Suspect and Protect: No Match is Worth the Risk,” the programme, created in collaboration with brain health specialists, seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of traumatic brain injuries and provide valuable resources for managing these risks, according to their joint announcement.
“By knowing the signs of concussion, by being aware of the risks, and by treating a concussion correctly, you can help to put player safety first,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VCzeRwpqc
In March, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) sanctioned the use of permanent concussion substitutes following a successful trial, with the new rule making its debut in this year’s Copa América.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, emphasised the need for heightened awareness about concussions across all levels of football.
“WHO is proud to team up with FIFA… to promote ways to protect the brains of footballers,” he added.
Israel has agreed to implement a series of “humanitarian pauses” in its military operations in Gaza to facilitate the vaccination of children against polio, according to theWorld Health Organization (WHO).
The vaccination campaign, set to begin on Sunday, aims to reach approximately 640,000 children across the Gaza Strip, as announced by senior WHO official Rik Peeperkorn.
The campaign will be conducted in three phases, targeting the central, southern, and northern regions of Gaza.
During each phase, hostilities will be halted for three consecutive days, from 06:00 to 15:00 local time, to allow the safe administration of vaccines.
This initiative follows a recent report by UN officials confirming Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years, which left a 10-month-old baby partially paralyzed.
Currently, around 1.26 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) are available in Gaza, with an additional 400,000 doses expected to arrive soon.
The vaccinations will be administered by UN staff and local healthcare workers, supported by over 2,000 trained health and community outreach personnel.
UN spokeswoman Louise Wateridge has called for a broader ceasefire to ensure the vaccination program can be carried out safely.
“We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs and strikes, we cannot vaccinate children who are fleeing for their lives,” she told Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday. “Any military operations during the time we are trying to roll out a vaccination campaign will affect our ability to deliver these vaccinations to children,” she explained.
Israel has agreed to implement a series of “humanitarian pauses” in its military operations in Gaza to facilitate the vaccination of children against polio, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The vaccination campaign, set to begin on Sunday, aims to reach approximately 640,000 children across the Gaza Strip, as announced by senior WHO official Rik Peeperkorn.
The campaign will be conducted in three phases, targeting the central, southern, and northern regions of Gaza. During each phase, hostilities will be halted for three consecutive days, from 06:00 to 15:00 local time, to allow the safe administration of vaccines.
This initiative follows a recent report by UN officials confirming Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years, which left a 10-month-old baby partially paralyzed.
Currently, around 1.26 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) are available in Gaza, with an additional 400,000 doses expected to arrive soon.
The vaccinations will be administered by UN staff and local healthcare workers, supported by over 2,000 trained health and community outreach personnel.
UN spokeswoman Louise Wateridge has called for a broader ceasefire to ensure the vaccination program can be carried out safely.
Hamas official Basem Naim told the Reuters news agency: “We are ready to cooperate with international organisations to secure this campaign, serving and protecting more than 650,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the series of three-day pauses were “not a ceasefire.”
James Kariuki, UK deputy permanent representative to the UN, said he “strongly” welcomed the vaccination plan. “We now need to see this in action, and these pauses need to be long enough to deliver the 90% coverage required.
When the campaign starts and thousands of vulnerable and unaccompanied children gather at vaccination sites, they must all be protected,” he added.
Prof Hagai Levine, a spokesman for the Hostages Families Forum – a group which is calling for more action to secure the release of Israeli hostages – urged health workers to ensure those still being held are included in the vaccination campaign.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
More than 40,530 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
World Health Organisation (WHO)has underscored the urgent need for Ghana and other African nations to adopt comprehensive policies and strategies aimed at reducing road traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities by 50% by 2030, in line with Target 3.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The WHO emphasized that these policies should focus on fostering sustainable transportation systems, strengthening legislative road safety frameworks, investing in data management, enhancing post-crash response, and conducting research specific to Africa’s unique challenges.
The organization highlighted that these policies must address various factors contributing to road crashes, such as inadequate enforcement of traffic laws, poor road conditions, speeding, drunk driving, and limited road safety education.
This call for action is part of the recommendations from the WHO’s 2023 road safety status report for Africa, which was presented in Nairobi, Kenya, last Tuesday.
The report revealed that Africa has become a major hotspot for road traffic fatalities, placing a heavy burden on the continent’s public health system and impeding progress toward SDG 3.6, which aims to halve global road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Despite representing 15% of the global population and having only 3% of the world’s vehicles, Africa accounted for 20% of global road traffic deaths. The report also noted a troubling rise in road traffic deaths over the past decade, with nearly 250,000 fatalities recorded in 2021 alone.
From 2010 to 2021, road traffic deaths in Africa increased by 17%, while the global rate decreased by 5%. The report further indicated that men aged 15 to 64 are the primary victims of these accidents, with motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians being particularly vulnerable.
The report attributed the rise to multiple factors, including inadequate road safety laws and standards, indicating: “no country in the region currently has laws that meet the best practice standards for the five key road safety behavioural risk factors – speeding, drink driving, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints.”
It added that limited investments in alternative modes of transport, including cycling and walking, had fuelled road-related fatalities on the continent, with 13 per cent of countries having national strategies to promote walking or cycling.
“These so-called multimodal transport systems have been determined to be more equitable and environmentally friendly, and safer for road users,” the report added.
The report added that post-crash care services in the region were inadequate or unavailable in most countries – fewer than one-third have services that met recommended levels of access to pre-hospital care, emergency care, and treatment and rehabilitation services.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said the findings of the report pointed to a serious public health concern for African countries, “with hundreds of thousands of lives being lost unnecessarily”.
“As WHO, we’re committed to working hand in hand with countries to tackle this preventable threat and continue to fully support all efforts to make our roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike,” he said.
The WHO representative in Kenya,Abdourahmane Diallo, stated that for Africa to reduce the burden of road accidents, countries needed to revamp transport infrastructure, retrain motorists, and promote safety education targeting motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Mothers have been urged to ensure regular weighing of their babies from birth until they reach five years old.
In a recent advisory notice shared on social media to mark this year’s African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) advised parents to “remember to inquire about their child’s growth at every health facility visit.”
Additionally, the advisory notice stressed the importance of parents bringing their infants for immunization against childhood diseases within their first two years.
Africa Vaccination Week, held annually during the last week of April, aims to raise awareness and underscore the crucial role of vaccination in disease prevention across the African continent.
Usually organized in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and other partners, the week features various activities including immunization campaigns, advocacy drives, and community engagement initiatives aimed at boosting vaccination coverage and vaccine accessibility.
Since 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has successfully automated payments for over two million African health professionals, transitioning from cash payments to mobile money.
The WHO Digital Finance Team has implemented digital payment systems in 24 African countries, including Benin, Botswana, Madagascar, Rwanda, Togo, and Zimbabwe.
This move aligns with WHO’s participation in the Better Than Cash Alliance, a UN alliance aimed at enhancing payment digitisation and advancing financial inclusion.
“With these inspiring results, WHO is clearly taking a leadership role in accelerating the digital transformation in the provision of health outcomes globally,” said Tidhar Wald, managing director of the Better Than Cash Alliance.
According to the WHO’s Digital Finance Team, more than 80% of workers surveyed in several countries prefer digital payments. Studies funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have shown that timely compensation improves morale and staff retention.
Maria May, senior program officer for Inclusive Financial Systems at the Gates Foundation, stated that over the last four years, WHO has leveraged the increasing presence of mobile money in Africa to ensure that frontline healthcare workers are paid quickly and securely.
Director in charge of the Global Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Programme at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, has emphasized the need for nations grappling with NTDs to address the diseases as a developmental issue.
Dr. Fall contends that NTDs are directly linked to development problems, primarily affecting vulnerable populations living in impoverished conditions with limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
NTDs encompass a diverse group of conditions caused by various pathogens, leading to severe health, social, and economic consequences. These diseases predominantly afflict impoverished communities in tropical areas, impacting over one billion people, with 1.6 billion requiring interventions, both preventive and curative. Some examples of NTDs include Buruli ulcer, dengue, Guinea-worm disease, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, rabies, schistosomiasis, and yaws.
In an interview facilitated by Speak Up Africa, Dr. Socé Fall expressed concern that NTDs have historically been overlooked in terms of diagnosis and treatment due to their disproportionate impact on developing countries. He highlighted the global community’s lack of significant investment in eliminating NTDs, attributing it to their limited effect on developed nations’ healthcare systems.
Dr Socé Fall drew parallels with global responses to diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola, emphasizing that diseases primarily affecting poorer populations in developing countries receive less attention until they pose a threat to more affluent nations. He underscored the need for increased funding and investment in NTD interventions and called on world leaders to prioritize these diseases to eliminate them effectively.
The WHO expert urged countries grappling with NTDs to take charge of their own diagnosis and treatment efforts by demonstrating leadership and political will. He emphasized that addressing NTDs is essential for achieving meaningful milestones in socio-economic development.
Dr. Socé Fall outlined key actions required to combat NTDs, including improving healthcare infrastructure, securing more funding for medication development, and creating resilient healthcare systems. He emphasized the importance of advocacy, political commitment, and community engagement in raising awareness about NTDs and implementing effective interventions.
Commending countries for their efforts in controlling NTDs, Dr. Socé Fall highlighted ongoing progress and expressed optimism that, by 2030, at least 100 countries will eliminate one NTD. He acknowledged the critical role of partnerships and called for continued investment in NTDs to achieve global health coverage and ensure that no community is left behind.
The “No to NTD Movement,” launched to combat NTDs in Africa, plays a crucial role in increasing awareness, prioritization, and national commitment to accelerating the control and elimination of NTDs on the continent. The movement engages with governments, the private sector, youth movements, and civil society, fostering efficient domestic resources and strengthening the capacities of national NTD programs and civil society organizations for sustainable strategies.
Sean Casey from the World Health Organization is worried about the fighting near three hospitals in Gaza. These hospitals are the last place where people can get medical help in that area. He is in charge of the medical teams working there.
He told Reuters that the health system is falling apart very quickly.
Casey said that the health system is still struggling. Health workers are scared to go to work because they are afraid for their safety.
People who are scared of going to the hospital because they think they could die on the way, along with their families who also fear this.
“I heard this morning that because of fighting near a hospital in Khan Yunis governorate in the south of Gaza, patients and their families are risking their lives to get medical help. “
The World Health Organization reports that northern Gaza is now devoid of a functional hospital, primarily due to a shortage of fuel, staff, and essential supplies.
“There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north,” Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, tells reporters via video link from Jerusalem, according to Reuters news agency.
“Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional.”
Hospitals and medical facilities in the region are grappling with the intense conflict, facing challenges such as shortages of supplies and power outages.
Following a visit to al-Ahli on Wednesday, teams from the WHO and the UN reported an overwhelming influx of people in need of emergency care. Tragically, bodies were arranged in rows in the courtyard.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a Wednesday post on X, stated that until two days ago, al-Ahli was the last facility performing surgery in northern Gaza. Regrettably, the operating theatres are now non-functional.
He added that only four hospitals remain in northern Gaza, offering very limited care.
Israel keeps bombing Gaza, mostly in the south at Khan Younis. Fighting has also happened in Rafah, close to the border with Egypt.
At the same time, a WHO person said that in Gaza, the number of hospitals went down from 36 to 11 in just 66 days. And those hospitals are only partly working.
The US is telling Israel to make sure they prioritize protecting civilians and give clear instructions so people can stay safe during the conflict. They also said that Hamas needs to do the same and protect civilians.
In Jenin, a town in the occupied West Bank, six people have died. Five of them were killed in a drone attack, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The United Nations is going to vote on a decision that asks for a ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian reasons.
Hamas got past Israel’s strong fence on October 7th. They killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. Some hostages were let go during a short break from fighting.
Israel has started bombing and sending soldiers into the area. The health department in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, says that Israel has caused the deaths of over 18,200 people.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning about the diminishing effectiveness of antibiotics due to their misuse, a trend that could result in 10 million global deaths by 2050.
This caution comes in response to a WHO survey on antibiotic usage.
The survey revealed that antibiotics were often prescribed for conditions such as common colds (24 percent of cases), flu-like symptoms (16 percent), sore throats (21 percent), and coughs (18 percent), as outlined in a report by the WHO’s European branch.
Conducted in 14 nations, primarily in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the study underscores the urgent need to address the misuse of antibiotics to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
“While AMR (antimicrobial resistance) is a natural phenomenon, the development and spread of superbugs are being accelerated by the misuse of antimicrobials, rendering infections more challenging to treat effectively,” a statement said.
“All countries in our region have regulations in place to protect precious antibiotics from misuse… Enforcing these regulations would solve most antibiotic misuse,” Robb Butler, director of WHO Europe’s Division of Communicable Diseases, said in a statement.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning that, in the absence of prompt action, antibiotic resistance among antimicrobials could result in up to 10 million annual deaths by 2050.
It added that a third of the 8,200 respondents worldwide have taken antibiotics without a prescription, citing improper prescriptions as a “cause for concern.”
Over 40% of antibiotics were prescribed without a doctor’s recommendation, highlighting a concerning trend in their misuse.
In contrast, a 2022 poll conducted in the European Union indicated that only 8% of participants reported using antibiotics without a prescription.
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted significant gaps in people’s understanding of antibiotics, suggesting that individuals might be unintentionally taking these medications.
This underscores the need for improved awareness and education on the appropriate use of antibiotics.
“This research clearly shows the need for education and awareness-raising,” Butler said
On Sunday, 31 babies were taken out of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Many international groups helped get the babies to safety in ambulances, even though there was fighting going on. People are worried about the babies’ health and safety.
The PCRS helped other groups take the babies to a hospital in southern Gaza. A source from the Egyptian government said the babies will go to Egypt on Monday.
Al-Shifa, the biggest hospital in Gaza, is now a focus of conflict in Israel’s war in the blockaded area. Hamas and people working at the hospital said that Israel’s claims are not true.
A group from the United Nations visited the hospital and said it was a very dangerous place.
The hallways and outside areas of the hospital were full of garbage and medical waste, which made it more likely for people to get sick. The patients and health workers they talked to were really scared for their safety and health, and they asked to be rescued.
For many days, the hospital was under constant attack, trapping thousands of people inside. This caused a lot of anger from the public, especially when we found out that even newborn babies were in danger.
Palestinian leaders said that some babies died because there was no electricity and not enough medical supplies. The hospital workers had to carry the babies from the machines that keep them warm and use foil to keep them from getting too cold.
The 31 babies that were moved are now in the southern city of Rafah in Gaza. Rafah is near the border with Egypt and has a crossing that has been used to bring in some aid and take out people from other countries.
We thought parents of the newborns could travel safely with their babies, but the WHO said not many babies had their family with them.
Gaza officials didn’t have much information and couldn’t locate their close family members, the WHO reported.
Ali Sbeiti, a father, was able to be with his young son Anas, who was born just three days before the war started.
“Thank you, God. ” We’re happy to know our son is safe after not seeing him for over two weeks. “We weren’t sure if he was alive or dead, especially when we couldn’t reach the doctors,” Sbeiti added.
The heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas and the lack of fuel for communication has made it harder to deliver aid and for Palestinians to get help.
The WHO said that the 31 babies who were moved to Rafah hospital have serious infections and are getting treated by the doctors there.
Eleven babies are very sick at Al-Shifa Hospital because there aren’t enough medical supplies, according to the WHO.
The doctor said they are doing tests on all the babies and giving them fluids and medicine based on how they are feeling.
Right now, they are in a tough but steady condition. This could get worse because we might run out of electricity soon if fuel doesn’t come into Gaza.
They had to leave because it was very dangerous. Some babies died and the hospital couldn’t help anyone anymore.
WHO’s leader, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said they are planning more missions to take the remaining patients and staff from Al-Shifa, as long as they are given reassurances by the groups fighting in the area that it will be safe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has partnered with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on an African Parliamentary High-Level Conference to strengthen health security preparedness.
This conference aims to provide a forum for Parliamentarians from national parliaments in Africa to exchange ideas, build political support, strengthen capacities, and foster coordination in driving sustainable action for global health security. Additionally, the meeting will enhance the role of Parliamentarians in strengthening health security and building health system resilience for the future of their countries.
In his opening remarks, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said that health emergencies significantly impact human health, livelihoods, national economies, and development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the weak global preparedness towards public health threats and the inequity in the global economy in terms of pandemic commodities including vaccines and simple PPEs.
According to him, it is the responsibility of countries to ensure core public health capacities are in place to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks and health emergencies and to set the foundation for a resilient health system to enable the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
He mentioned that Parliamentarians have a role in promoting health and health equity and they must strive to bridge inequities in access to health care within the populations they serve.
He urged Parliamentarians to continually strengthen mechanisms for partnerships and multisectoral collaborations; increase advocacy to invest in health systems for health security; and explore ways of making better use of innovative approaches and new technologies for data collection, analysis, and timely information sharing.
Essential help for people in need is building up at the closed border of Gaza, even though attempts are being made to open a passage with Egypt. The World Health Organization has raised concerns that there is a shortage of water for many Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes due to the bombings.
For over a week, Israel has put Gaza in a lockdown because of a violent attack by Hamas, the group that controls the area and is known for extremist beliefs. Gaza is a place where 2. 2 million people live.
Some people are going to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to try to leave because there is not enough fuel, food, and water. This is causing hospitals to almost close down and families to not have enough water and food.
With a lot of pressure from other countries to help with the crisis, President Joe Biden is going to Israel on Wednesday. This is an unusual visit during a time of war and comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken worked really hard to talk to important Israeli leaders for seven hours.
On Tuesday, Blinken said that the US and Israel have agreed to make a plan to help send humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza.
But we don’t know if any steps were taken to open the Rafah crossing, which is the only way to get into Gaza that Israel doesn’t control.
An official from Palestine said that big blocks have been put at the crossing, stopping all gates. Egypt also says that Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza side of the border have made the roads not work.
Satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies reveal that there are four holes, each about 30 feet in size, still obstructing the road at the border crossing near the Egyptian gate. The photos also show that the cement blocks that were used to block the entrance can be seen.
Many people on both sides of the border are urgently asking for help.
On the Egyptian side, there are United Nations teams waiting at the Rafah crossing. They are hoping they will be allowed to enter Gaza and create a pathway for delivering humanitarian aid.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a social media post on Monday that Gaza is in a very serious situation regarding public health. They mentioned that there is a shortage of water and around 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals are in danger right now.
The spokesperson for WHO, Margaret Harris, said to CNN that the UN health agency made a deal with Egypt’s president to open the Rafah crossing for aid. However, Israel’s attacks made the place unsafe, which stopped the movement of important supplies.
“It’s really scary and upsetting to wait, and all of us just want to help,” Harris said. He also mentioned that there are around 84,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and a lot of them give birth every day.
“She said that babies do not worry about bombs, they arrive when they arrive. ”
The UN envoy, Martin Griffiths, will go to Cairo on Tuesday to help with diplomatic efforts, according to a statement from the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs. He is going to Israel during his trip.
A group of trucks filled with help and supplies was moving through Egypt towards the crossing on Tuesday, as reported by Al-Qahera News, which is related to the government. A lot of help came a few days ago from many countries and international groups.
Many people in Gaza have come together near the border crossing. Over a million people have left their homes in just one week, says the United Nations.
A group of five Palestinian-Americans, who are also citizens of the US, went to Rafah on Monday because they heard that the borders were going to be opened. Haifa Kaoud, whose husband Hesham is one of the five people trapped in Gaza, shared this information.
“She said that they went to Rafah on Monday, but they had to wait for a long time and it never opened. She also mentioned that they don’t have a lot of electricity or internet, so they rely on us for information. ”
The family was in Gaza visiting relatives when the war started. Now, their loved ones in the US are doing their best to find a way to bring them back home.
Haifa said that the water is dirty. Despite having food, they try not to eat a lot so that there is enough for everyone. “One of the brothers also takes medicine for his heart, and they are worried about it lasting too long as well. ”
UNRWA announced on Tuesday that Gaza’s only seawater desalination plant has stopped operating, which increases the chance of more people dying.
The United Nations agency said that in southern Gaza on Monday, a small amount of water was available for three hours. However, this was only enough to serve half of the 100,000 people living in Khan Younis.
The UNRWA said that the lack of water and sanitation services is causing dehydration and waterborne diseases to become a big problem.
On Monday, the UN Security Council said no to a proposal from Russia for a temporary stop to fighting in order to help people in need. The resolution didn’t receive enough votes to pass. Many countries, like the US, UK, and France, voted against it because the draft did not blame Hamas for the attack on October 7. The Israeli army said that the attack caused the deaths of at least 1,400 people and many others were taken as hostages.
The Israeli bombing last week caused the death of over 2,800 people, including many children, and injured more than 11,000 in Gaza, said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday, as reported by the official Palestinian press agency, WAFA.
The Palestinian Interior Ministry said that on Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes caused the death of at least 49 people in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will continue conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas militant targets. He mentioned that their primary goal is to degrade Hamas’ capabilities and prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians. Conricus also stated that they are taking precautions to minimize civilian casualties and suggested that any casualties reported may be the result of misfired rockets by Hamas. Colonel Jonathan Conricus, when talking to CNN, said that he did not know about any targeted attacks happening in those places, but they might have occurred.
“He said the fighting is still happening. ” We are still looking for members of Hamas to try to weaken their ability to fight.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s representative at the UN, disagreed with claims of ethnic cleansing made by a UN official who works on protecting Palestinian rights. Erdan said that the claims were completely not true and accused UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese of hating Jewish people.
In a statement on Saturday, Albanese accused Israel of forcibly removing many Palestinians from their homes during past conflicts in 1948 and 1967. He said this was like a mass removal of Palestinians based on their ethnicity.
They are part of the 4,000 people who have been officially declared dead until now. Additionally, over 8,500 people are still not found.
The deaths of these 101 doctors, nurses, and paramedics affects not just their families and loved ones, but also the whole community. The health sector in eastern Libya and beyond will face a significant impact. This was stated by Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative in Libya, as a tribute to the health workers.
The disaster occurred when two dams, which were not well taken care of during years of conflict, broke because of heavy rainfall from Storm Daniel.
Whole neighborhoods vanished underwater when the water reached eastern Libya, especially the city of Derna, which was heavily affected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the mental health situation in Ghana, stating that nearly 2.4 million citizens may be suffering from various degrees of mental illness.
The organization emphasizes the need for increased collaboration to improve the country’s struggling mental healthcare system, including infrastructure and technical support.
Ghana’s Mental Health Authority has frequently voiced its concerns about the severely underfunded state of the nation’s mental healthcare system.
They highlight that this, combined with the significant deterioration of existing infrastructure, fails to adequately address the psychological needs of the Ghanaian population.
Professor Francis Kasalo, the World Health Organization’s representative to Ghana, shared his apprehensions about this concerning trend in an interview with Blessed Sogah on Foreign Affairs on JoyNews.
“It is in Ghana for example out of the population of almost thirty million plus it is estimated that almost 2.4 million have a form of mental illness. That’s not a small number and if you are looking at that number why are we not investing in ensuring that those people receive appropriate care? So the numbers are huge” he said.
The WHO country representative in Ghana has identified a significant challenge in the delivery of mental healthcare in the country: the prevailing attitude of the general public towards mental health issues, often treating them as trivial matters. Furthermore, he expressed concern about the tendency to stigmatize individuals with mental illnesses by labeling them as naturally difficult, having anger issues, or even attributing their condition to spiritual problems.
In response to these concerning developments, Professor Kasolo announced that the WHO’s Ghana office is actively developing a comprehensive partnership framework with the government of Ghana. This collaborative effort aims to address and rectify the deficiencies in the mental healthcare sector.
“People should understand that we can build capacities for people who we assume are difficult people to be able to access these services to understand why is it that they’re behaving like that?” he quizzed.
Health leaders and donors at the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa have called for swift measures to increase access to vital services for timely detection, care, and prevention of cervical cancer.
The African region hosts 19 of the 20 countries globally with a high burden of cervical cancer.
To achieve the WHO’s global targets of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health issue by 2023, countries must vaccinate 90% of women and girls with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, achieve 70% cancer screening, and ensure 90% of women and girls with cancer receive treatment.
Currently, only 31% of girls aged 15 or younger in the African region received the first dose of the HPV vaccine in 2022, with 26 countries introducing the vaccine. Sixteen countries have introduced HPV-based screening at the sub-national level.
To meet the 2030 global targets, vaccination coverage should reach 90% of women and girls in 20 countries by 2024. Additionally, at least 10 countries should achieve a 25% national screening rate for women aged 30–49, along with a 25% treatment rate in these countries.
“The health and well-being of women is the health and well-being of our nations. Women are healthy when they feel valued, acknowledged, appreciated and empowered. In turn healthy women contribute to healthy families, communities and societies. It is for that reason that as African First Ladies we are committed to ensure cervical cancer elimination is achieved within one generation,” H.E. Mrs Neo Jane Masisi, First Lady of Botswana.
The low prioritization of cervical cancer control programs by governments, insufficient financial and human resources allocation, limited healthcare worker capacity, low disease awareness, and high supply and vaccine costs hinder effective control efforts.
Despite challenges, progress has been made, with nearly 40% of countries offering the first HPV vaccine dose to girls achieving 70% coverage.
“Cancer illness is painfully devastating and affects families profoundly. But through early detection, care and prevention with vaccines, women and girls in our region can be protected from cervical cancer,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Scaling up the efforts for better access to cancer control services is a top priority for WHO in its support to national health priorities to defeat diseases and improve the health and well-being of the region’s population.”
Efforts are underway to address disparities in access to services among vulnerable populations, ensure affordable vaccines, and expand cancer control services through collaboration with communities, youth organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.
Cervical cancer, primarily caused by HPV, ranks as the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, resulting in over 300,000 annual deaths.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation expressed commitment to supporting the WHO African Region in establishing robust HPV vaccination programs and ensuring that these life-saving tools reach those who need them most, particularly in lower-income countries disproportionately affected by cervical cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has organized a four-day workshop focused on sustainability planning and business case development for its partners.
The objective of the workshop was to bolster mental health programs in Ghana.
Held in Kumasi, situated in the Ashanti Region, the workshop aimed to equip regional stakeholders with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to effectively pursue, secure, and manage strategic partnerships.
These partnerships are integral for the sustenance and efficacy of health programs.
According to a statement released by the WHO Country Office and shared with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), mental health remains a significant challenge in Ghana.
The country has an estimated 2.3 million individuals grappling with mental health conditions, and there exists a considerable 98 percent treatment gap.
To address these challenges, Ghana has been executing the Director General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health (DG-SIMH) since 2022 in four regions.
This initiative aims to bridge the existing gaps and enhance the overall quality of mental health and well-being.
Supported by the Government of Norway and USAID, this five-year initiative, operating in 12 countries globally including Ghana, seeks to extend quality and affordable mental health services to an additional 100 million people.
The WHO’s efforts also encompass strengthening the capacity of the implementing regions and collaborating partners.
This approach ensures the sustained effectiveness of the initiative and other interventions even beyond the initial implementation phase.
“Through the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, Ghana has stepped up efforts to improve mental health care.
“So now we are working to ensure that the significant effort being made is sustained beyond the lifespan of the initiative,” says Dr Joana Ansong, the Noncommunicable Diseases & Risk Factors Officer at WHO Ghana.
The Deputy Director for Mental Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Amma Boadu lauded the foresight of WHO in seeking to enhance capacity for sustainable programming and pledged the service’s commitment to leverage the new skills to sustain health programmes at all levels.
“This capacity will help us to address gaps in our efforts to sustain mental health programmes and other health interventions, especially at the subnational level where resources are very constrained,” Dr Boadu noted.
Participants described the workshop as timely and insightful as they were empowered with the requisite technical competence to build strong business cases for sustainable health interventions.
“This is the first time we are participating in this kind of workshop. We are ready to leverage the skills to not only mental health programmes but all other health interventions,” says Mr Edward Owusu, the Savannah Regional Mental Health Coordinator.
The four-day workshop saw participants taking through partnerships, resource mobilization and advocacy to strengthen their capacity to sustain their health programmes.
Similar to numerous other nations, Uganda confronts substantial issues linked to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) stemming from risky alcohol consumption. This predicament significantly affects both public health and the overall social welfare of individuals who engage in such behaviour.
As a part of an ambitious effort to address challenges related to alcohol, a group of 17 addiction treatment experts collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to organise a five-day workshop.
The primary objective of this workshop was to create a comprehensive manual that provides guidance for the screening and treatment of individuals impacted by hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorders.
At the workshop, Ministry of Health psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Kalani Okware explained that to combat and reduce the impact of excessive alcohol consumption, it is essential to develop a comprehensive tool that will help primary health care workers deliver effective care.
“Asmental health specialists, we should focus on designing a comprehensive Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol that matches the needs of primary care workers.”
The manual was developed in line with the WHO SAFER (explain the abbreviation) initiative launched in 2018 at the Third UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
SAFER is a technical package of cost-effective interventions for the prevention of harmful alcohol use.
It has been developed to deliver health and development gains to meet global, regional, and national health needs, and to reduce the human suffering and pain caused by harmful alcohol use.
“The harmful use of alcohol has a devastating impact on Consumers’ health, including injuries, mental health problems, and diseases like cancer and stroke. I call on the government of Uganda to Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability and Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment at all levels, said Dr. Yonas Tegegn, Woldemariam, WHO Representative to Uganda.
Taking part in the workshop, Dr. Hafisa Kasule, WHO Technical Officer for Non-Communicable Diseases, revealed that “Ugandans currently consume over 12 litres of pure alcohol per year per capita.
Surprisingly, less than 50% of the population consumes alcohol, which means that the few who do drink are drinking too much, a challenge that demands immediate action,” she said.
She also stressed that tackling the pervasive problem of harmful alcohol use is essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.5 on alcohol and substance abuse.
WHO’s efforts to support Uganda in the prevention and control of alcohol consumption are long-standing.
Actions to date include, among others, the development of a risk factor survey in 2013 and 2023 to determine the burden of alcohol consumption in the country; the adaptation and piloting of the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MHGAP) intervention guide to facilitate access to alcohol use disorder services in primary health care centres.
Moving forward, WHO is in discussions with members of the Ugandan parliament to lobby for the adoption of the Alcohol Control Bill. This law will provide a legal basis for controlling the production, marketing, and consumption of alcohol in the country.
The Head of the Nutrition Unit at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ms. Dorcas Asante, has emphasized the importance of promoting exclusive breastfeeding among lactating mothers for the optimal well-being of both babies and mothers.
In an interview with the media, she highlighted the recommendations of health experts, which stress that breastfeeding should commence within the first 30 minutes of a baby’s life and continue according to the baby’s needs.
She referenced the World Health Organization (WHO), which advises exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by the continuation of breastfeeding alongside suitable complementary foods for up to two years or longer.
Enumerating the advantages of breastfeeding for infants, Ms. Asante pointed out that breast milk offers ideal nutrition containing all necessary nutrients in the appropriate proportions for a baby’s first six months of life.
Breast milk is rich in antibodies that help combat infections, is easily digestible to prevent issues like constipation and diarrhea, and contributes to cognitive development while decreasing the risk of conditions like type two diabetes and obesity in adulthood. The practice also reduces the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome, as well as ear and respiratory tract infections.
For mothers, Ms. Asante highlighted various benefits, including a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, type two diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure.
Breastfeeding naturally suppresses ovulation and menstruation, acts as a form of contraception, expends additional calories, and assists the body in returning to its pre-pregnancy state more quickly.
It even aids in reducing the risk of postpartum depression and supports uterine contraction due to increased oxytocin secretion.
In terms of family benefits, breastfeeding reduces financial strain, as it is more cost-effective than using breast milk substitutes.
Healthier breastfed babies result in fewer medical expenses and fewer lost workdays for parents caring for a sick child.
Importantly, breastfeeding contributes to environmental preservation by eliminating the need for formula and associated waste production.
“Breastfed babies are healthier, and there is a decrease in expenses for medical treatment and lost workdays caring for a sick child,” she said.
Ms. Asante emphasized that breastfeeding contributes to a decline in childhood illnesses, ultimately leading to lower national healthcare expenses, improved child survival rates, and diminished morbidity and mortality.
The country is grappling with a growing burden of hepatitis infections and fatalities, exacerbated by low rates of diagnosis, treatment, and awareness.
According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), due to hesitancy in testing, only a mere 10 percent of individuals with chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) have been diagnosed, and of those diagnosed, only 22 percent have received treatment.
For Hepatitis C, the situation is slightly better, with 21 percent of those with the infection diagnosed, and 62 percent of them receiving treatment for a potential cure.
In an effort to combat this worrisome trend, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, launched this year’s World Hepatitis Day Commemoration in Accra, urging everyone to get tested.
The goal is to diagnose 90 percent of Hepatitis B and C cases and ensure at least 80 percent of them receive treatment, thereby curbing the increasing burden of the disease.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye emphasized that some forms of hepatitis are curable, while others can be effectively managed to enable infected individuals to lead normal lives. Early detection and treatment can make a significant difference in the outcomes.
The World Hepatitis Day, instituted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and observed on July 28 each year, aims to raise awareness, reduce prevalence, and improve access to testing and treatment.
The theme for this year’s commemoration is “One life, one liver,” urging people to protect their livers through healthy lifestyles.
The activities leading up to the day include free screening across the country and public sensitization forums nationwide. Dr. Baruch Blumberg’s birthday, who discovered the Hepatitis B virus in 1967 and developed the first hepatitis B vaccine two years later, is chosen as the date for WHD.
To address the growing hepatitis prevalence, the GHS is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the Global Fund to implement a triple elimination strategy targeting Hepatitis B, HIV, and Syphilis.
Efforts are being made to expand antenatal services to include HBV testing for pregnant women and provide necessary treatment.
The government is also striving to benefit from reduced prices of medications for the treatment of Hepatitis B and C on the global market.
Moreover, steps are being taken to increase access to testing and treatment, including ensuring all pregnant women with chronic HBV have access to treatment and providing Hepatitis B birth vaccines to infants within 24 hours of birth.
Viral hepatitis refers to liver inflammation caused by hepatotropic viruses, which are found in blood and certain bodily fluids. The five identified hepatitis viruses are Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.
As the country endeavors to combat this public health issue, efforts are being made to raise awareness, promote testing and treatment, and implement various interventions to reduce the impact of hepatitis infections on the population.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced that the 7th National COVID-19 Vaccination Days (NaCVAD-7) will take place from tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19 to Sunday, July 23, with the goal of immunizing a million individuals.
According to the Service, 10 million people out of the country’s more than 30 million inhabitants have fully got the immunizations, with the remainder yet to be vaccinated or undergo complete vaccination.
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, stated at a news conference to kick off the statewide exercise that the virus exists despite rumors to the contrary.
“As you may recall on the 5th May 2023 the WHO Director-General through the advice of the international health regulatory emergency committee determined that COVID-19 was now an established and ongoing health issue and which will no longer constitute a public health emergency of international concern. He did not say that COVID-19 is no more,” he said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) country representative, Dr. Argata Guracha Guyo, pledged to assist Ghana in achieving herd immunity against COVID-19.
Groundbreaking research into the behavior of biting flies offers promising insights for Africa’s battle against sleeping sickness.
Scientists have discovered that biting flies are drawn to the color blue, mistaking it for the hue of the animals they typically prey upon.
The department of life sciences at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom spearheaded an entomological field study to investigate the specific attraction of these flies to the color blue.
As a result, traps worldwide are now being manufactured in this particular color to enhance their efficacy.
This newfound understanding of the flies’ color preference could prove invaluable in the fight against sleeping sickness in Africa, potentially leading to more effective trapping and control methods to combat these disease-carrying insects.
By developing artificial neural networks that mimic the visual processing in the brain of biting flies, researchers came to the conclusion they published.
Flies caught in blue traps were more likely to not have eaten .recently, suggesting they had been on the lookout for hosts.
The research, which has also been peer-reviewed and published in the Proceedings of Royal Society B journal, also cast doubt on a previous theory that blue objects represented shade to the flies.
The new findings may mark a turning point in the fight against diseases endemic in sub-Saharan Africa that remain without treatment and are generally fatal.
The team’s conclusions could be key in combating diseases like human African trypanosomiasis – also known as sleeping sickness – and controlling stable flies, which primarily attack cattle and horses.
According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), more than 98 percent of reported cases are caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which is found in 24 countries in Western and Central Africa.
The second form, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, accounts for less than 2 percent of cases and is found in 13 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Health officials report that false claims regarding the spread of a cholera outbreak in northern Mozambique have resulted in violent protests and fatalities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified instances where misinformation about the disease has contributed to these acts of unrest.
Examining the protests through social media posts and local media reports, we have gained insight into the underlying causes of the disturbances.
In a recent incident in the town of Gurue, Zambezia province, a man was fatally beaten by individuals who falsely accused him of spreading cholera, as confirmed by health officials.
A graphic video circulating on social messaging platforms, witnessed by the BBC, depicts the man’s body surrounded by a large crowd.
Image caption, The death of a man in Gurue was recorded in a video obtained by the BBC
In another protest, four individuals were killed during clashes between police and a group that attacked homes and properties belonging to local officials in Nacala Porto, Nampula province.
In Cabo Delgado province, located further north, police resorted to firing shots into the air to disperse a crowd attempting to assault a health center in the Meluco district. These incidents highlight the dangerous consequences of misinformation and the urgent need to address the dissemination of false claims during public health crises.
It is unclear what is fuelling the misinformation – which is largely spreading through word of mouth – although our monitoring of social media has provided some insight.
Cholera thrives in conditions where water sanitation is inadequate.
Some online posts claim falsely that measures implemented by local health officials, such as adding chlorine to water supplies and the use of purifiers, are in fact spreading the disease.
The BBC’s Jose Tembe in Maputo says almost all violent cases related to cholera stem from misinformation.
“Also targeted are grassroots leaders who mobilise people to use the purifiers. The leaders are falsely thought to be part of the alleged group spreading the water-borne disease,” he says.
In a caption accompanying the video of the killing in Garue, the victim was alleged to have distributed infected “dust” at a property in the area.
The WHO Africa representative in Mozambique, Severin von Xylander, says misinformation is dangerous because it can fuel behaviour that drives the spread of disease.
Mozambique has been battling an outbreak of the disease since September last year.
It’s just one of many countries in the region facing rising cases of cholera, including South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Kenya.
“This, in turn, undermines trust in health authorities, which hampers public health responses and ultimately prolongs outbreaks.”
Authorities in the United States and Mexico are requesting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency in response to a fungus outbreak connected to cosmetic operations in Mexico.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said two people who got surgeries involving epidural anaesthesia have died of meningitis.
Almost 400 people in the US and Mexico are being monitored.
Two cosmetic clinics in the Mexican city of Matamoros have been shut.
Authorities in both the US and Mexico have urged people who had surgeries involving epidural anaesthesia at either the River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 since January to get evaluated, even if they are currently asymptomatic.
The CDC said it had already identified 25 people in the US with “suspected” or “probable” cases of fungal meningitis.
Many US citizens travel to Mexico for cosmetic procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian butt lifts, which all require the injection of an anaesthetic into the area around the spinal column.
The CDC’s Dallas Smith said that medications used during anaesthesia in the current outbreak may have been contaminated either in the epidural itself or in other medications that are added in conjunction during the surgeries like morphine.
“There’s a shortage currently in Mexico, and there could be potential for a black market that could have contaminated medicine,” said Mr Smith.
Last October, a batch of a local anaesthetic commonly used for operations such as Caesarean births was found to have been infected by the same fungus, leading to the death of 39 people in the Mexican state of Durango.
The most common early symptom of fungal meningitis is headaches, followed by symptoms like fever, vomiting, neck pain, and blurred vision.
Fungal meningitis is not contagious and can be treated with antifungal medicines – but it can can quickly become life-threatening once symptoms begin.
Americans often travel to Mexico for low-cost medical services.
The WHO declares a public health emergency when a disease spreads between countries and may a co-ordinated international response may be required to bring it under control.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to implement necessary reforms to prepare for the next pandemic at the United Nations Annual General Assembly in Geneva.
The disease has killed about 7 million people worldwide and is still killing people every day due to low vaccination rates.
He insisted Covid is still a threat, but not the only one the world may have to confront.
Despite the darkest days of the pandemic considered over, Dr Ghebreyesus said the next one was bound to ‘come knocking’.
After ending the global emergency status for Covid, he stressed: ‘We cannot kick this can down the road.
‘If we do not make the changes that must be made, then who will? And if we do not make them now, then when?
‘When the next pandemic comes knocking – and it will – we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably.’
The 10-day annual World Health Assembly, which coincides with the WHO’s 75th anniversary, is set to address global health challenges including future pandemics, eradicating polio and steps to ease Ukraine’s health emergency triggered by the war.
The WHO’s 194 member states are now drafting a pandemic treaty which is up for adoption at next year’s assembly.
‘A commitment from this generation (to a pandemic accord) is important, because it is this generation that experienced how awful a small virus could be,’ added Ghebreyesus.
At the same meeting, countries approved a $6.83 billion budget for 2024-25 – a decision that tested national commitments to fixing its funding model which was seen as too small and overly reliant on donors.
The budget includes a 20% increase in member states’ mandatory fees.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that monkeypox is no longer a global public health emergency, almost a year after it was raised as a threat.
Although the virus remains in circulation and there is a possibility of further waves and outbreaks, the WHO has lowered its alert level.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the global health body, has urged countries to “remain vigilant.”
Monkeypox is transmitted through close contact with an infected person. Its official name is Mpox and it is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe.
Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles.
Once the fever breaks a rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Anyone with the virus should abstain from sex while they have symptoms, to help prevent passing it on to others.
Vaccines can protect people too. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global outbreak of monkeypox has resulted in over 87,000 cases and 140 deaths across 111 countries.
However, the number of cases reported over the last three months has reduced by almost 90% in comparison to the previous three-month period, leading to the conclusion that the highest level of alert is no longer necessary.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, has emphasized the importance of remaining cautious despite the reduced alert level. In the UK, only ten cases have been reported this year.
The announcement comes a week after the UN agency declared an end to the Covid emergency.
A declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) indicates that countries need to cooperate to manage a shared threat, such as an outbreak of a disease.
There is now just one WHO-declared PHEIC – for poliovirus, which was declared in May 2014.
Dr Katy Sinka, head of sexually transmitted infections at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “If you’re eligible and still need to take up the vaccine, please come forward ahead of the summer months to ensure you have maximum protection.
“First doses of the vaccine will end on 16 June and both doses will cease at the end of July.”
Despite the low number of COVID-19infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) has, however, encouraged individuals to protect themselves against the disease.
WHO on May 5, announced that COVID-19 no longer represents a global health emergency which is a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy, and ravaged communities.
The World Health Organisation’s Emergency Committee met on Thursday, May 4, and recommended that the UN agency to declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern, which has been in place for over three years.
However, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus says countries should still maintain their COVID-19 strategies.
“This virus is here to stay and still killing, and still changing. The risk remains of a new variant emerging. The worse any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let its guards down to dismantle the system it already built. Or to send a message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about. What this news means is that, it’s time for countries to transition from emergency mood to managing COVID-19 along side other infectious diseases,” Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned.
The Government of Ghana says the country will not let its guard down despite the World Health Organization’s declaration of an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency.
Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare said government will continue to prioritize the health and safety of citizens in the management of the virus.
“We will manage it like any other disease. All that the WHO is saying is that, not that COVID-19 is completely gone, so we should be able to manage it as a country. For some months now we have not seen any COVID-19-related deaths and our ICUs have not been over-stressed with hospitalization. But we have to continue with the sensitization so that we don’t lose sight of what is happening. It should become part and parcel of us”, he said on Eyewitness News.
The Presidential Advisor on Health says government will continue with its routine surveillance until the pandemic is eradicated.
“We are trying to return life to normal as if there is no COVID-19. So we will sustain the national capacity so that we do not have to fight any major pandemic in the country. There will be more vaccines for the unvaccinated and continue with surveillance. So we will not lose sight of it and make sure the system in Ghana continues. So we are not going to stop with COVID-19 but put all these measures in place until the pandemic is formally declared over. We will be on the lookout.”
The World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean has warned about the effects of fighting on the healthcare infrastructure in the nation as the conflict in Sudan entered its third week.
“In numbers, approximately 61 percent of the medical institutes in Khartoum stopped working because of the direct military attacks, military occupation for those institutes and firing their staff. 23 percent of the hospitals in Khartoum work partially, and 16 percent work at full capacity, this is the health situation in Sudan, especially in the conflict areas”, announced Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, regional director of the World Health Organization’s office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The conflict has sparked an exodus of trained healthcare professionals from the country further aggravating the situation.
Estimates suggest that 24,000 women will give birth without maternal care in the coming weeks.
“Many working and trained minds in the healthcare sector are fleeing Sudan… There is a withdrawal of many NGOs and non-NGOs due to direct attacks. By all means, it’s a disaster”, concluded the regional director.
According to the UN even before the conflict,15.8 million people, about a third of the population were already in need of aid.
Health Minister,Kwaku Agyeman Manuhas revealed that some public health facilities in the nation are giving patients fraudulent pharmaceuticals, a phenomenon he called a threat to both the provision of medical care and human life.
The Health minister made this unfortunate disclosure in Kumasi when he addressed stakeholders in the health sector during the First Senior Managers Meeting of the Ghana Health Service.
The event brought together health partners, traditional leaders, and private investors in the health sector, representatives from theWorld Health Organization (WHO)among other stakeholders.
The four day conference which started on the 18th April 2023 will be used to review the major issues affecting quality health care delivery and prescribed implementable solutions policy for the sector.
Speaking on the theme “Enhancing Primary Healthcare Approaches Towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage”, Health Minister Agyeman Manu tasked stakeholders in the sector to ensure excellence in healthcare delivery across the country.
He appealed to health workers to help fight the problem of administering fake drugs to avoid sending patients to their early grave.
He questioned the justification behind the use of unapproved medicine otherwise known as ‘fake medicine’ in treating patients in health facilities.
“I have a note on my desk from the FDA over fake medication falsified drugs usage in public health facilities and the very common one is oxytocin and I believe all of you here will know that Oxytocin dose. We are talking about maternal mortalities, and that is one drug I understand will help stop what happens after delivery. The FDA has put together the list and is seeking my approval to name and shame. So some of us are going to see ourselves in the public domain for using fake drugs. This is not the first time, about three years ago they did the same thing and reported. So what is the motivation to take in fake drugs in our own facilities not all but the FDA woman want to name and shame some of us and should that happen invariably it goes to actually distort what we are fighting for better educators with maternal health and mortalities so how are we going to solve this problem ?’’ he asked.
MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE AND WRONG MEDICAL PRESCRIPTION
The minister also disclosed that the Health Ministry is overwhelmed with legal cases over its staff negligence and wrong medication prescription on duty.
He admitted before he took over six years ago the situation wasn’t that bad like today and questioned whether the health practitioners have forgotten what they were taught in health training institutions to warrant these unfortunate developments.
“What I’m seeing of late in the ministry are issues of litigation for the past four weeks or so. Almost every week we get at least one letter from the attorney general’s office that somebody has sued our staff with a problem of health care service delivery and they want us to come with information for them to go to court with. Then we refer to the Director General Dr. Kumah Aboagye but I have been with you for the past six years. Earlier when I came in those things were not happening that much but now it has become something very common. So what is it, deliberate efforts to try and go to court, get somebody to take us to court or you have forgotten why you were trained to do in more efficient manner negligence or what is happening but since you are the senior managers of what we do in health I throw this challenge on you and your strategic meetings to discuss how this problem can be resolved” he stressed.
On Friday, Ghana, under the direction of the Ministry of Health, observed 2023 World Health Day and launched the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of WHO.
Performing the launch in Accra, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manuunderscored the critical role WHO has played in supporting Ghana’s health sector agenda over the decades and expressed Ghana’s continuous support for the organisation in its efforts to promote health for all.
“Over the years, WHO has set the public health agenda, developed and promoted norms and standards and spearheaded efforts to strengthen health systems, eliminate, eradicate and control diseases,” Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu noted.
“The Government of Ghana anticipates an even more fruitful collaboration with WHO to fully operationalize the Universal Health Coverage(UHC) roadmap”.
The WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo praised the collaboration between Ghana and WHO which is helping to strengthen the health sector and promote the attainment of UHC and the Sustainable Development Goal 3.
“WHO and Ghana has stood shoulder to shoulder over the decades to strengthen health security, build resilient health systems and effectively deal with communicable and noncommunicable diseases”, Dr Kasolo said.
“Therefore, this 75th anniversary is a moment to reflect the public health successes of the past and come together with science, solutions, and solidarity to address future challenges”.
Delivering a public lecture on the theme; “WHO yesterday, today and the future”, the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Professor Fred Binka called for stronger support from member states and partners to strengthen WHO’s leadership in Global Public Health.
“Now more than ever, the world needs WHO given the emerging global public health challenges,” Professor Fred Binka emphasised. “Member states and partners must increase support to ensure an independent and well-functioning WHO so that it can continue to deliver on its mandate”.
The launch was attended by Diplomats, heads of Government Agencies, Development Partners, heads of United Nations Agencies in Ghana, former and current staff of WHO and other stakeholders.
The yearlong celebration of the anniversary in Ghana will see the rollout of campaigns engaging Government, partners, and the public to share their stories of what health means to them. Planning around the global Health Days, specific monthly themes will be identified to jointly celebrate public health achievements and highlight the pertinent challenges impeding the acceleration of universal health coverage (UHC) and health-related SDGs.
There is no psychiatrist in the Bono, Bono East, or Ahafo regions to help the residents of those areas receive effective and efficient mental health care.
The situation, the Ahafo Regional Minister, George Yaw Boakye, said, was a reflection of the poor access to mental health care in the country, with a treatment gap of about 72 per cent.
In a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the World Health Organisation Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health (DG-SIMH) inception meeting in Goaso in the Ahafo Region last Wednesday, Mr Boakye expressed worry over the fact that locally and globally, mental health issues had been neglected and allowed to be suppressed by stigma and discrimination for a very long time, although mental disorders were responsible for about 30 per cent of the world disability burden.
Supporting his concern with some data, the regional minister said relative to the WHO benchmark of one psychiatrist:100,000 population, Ghana’s psychiatrist:population ratio was 0.058 per 100,000 and 0.065 psychologist per 100,000 population.
Dr Bernard Ziem (inset), acting Ahafo Regional Health Director, delivering his address
WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in 2021 set up the DG-SIMH to support the transformation of systems and scale-up of mental health services.
The goal of the initiative is to increase treatment coverage for mental health conditions by ensuring access to mental health care for about 100 million people in five years.
Mental health cases
Giving a situational report on mental healthcare delivery in the region, the Ahafo Regional Mental Health Coordinator, James Gariba, disclosed that the health directorate recorded 1,309 new mental health cases in six different mental health conditions in 2022, compared to 1,538 in 2021.
Some of the conditions recorded included epilepsy, which is said to be common among young people between 20 and 29; schizophrenia, mental disorder due to alcohol use, mental disorder due to psychoactive use, depression and mental disorders not specified, such as bedwetting.
At the end of 2022, the directorate also recorded 3,175 re-attendance; that is, patients who visited health facilities each day to access treatment, as against 3,980 in 2021.
Mr Gariba said while the directorate was committed to helping deliver efficient mental health care, it was saddled with challenges that impeded its efficiency.
He mentioned weak structural capacity for district mental health focal persons, insufficient supply of programmed psychotropic drugs, inadequate funding for mental health activities and inadequate capacity building for workers as some of the challenges facing the mental health sector.
The acting Regional Health Director, Dr Bernard Ziem, said even though mental health was crucial in the healthcare system, governments and other institutions worldwide had given less attention to the sector.
For her part, the Country Programme Officer of the WHO, Dr Joana Ansong, said mental health continued to be a priority for the WHO, with the vision that all people achieve the highest standard of mental health and well-being.
She said the region was one of the focus regions for the initiative, explaining that the meeting was to have stakeholders participate and subsequently develop a regional work plan which was well aligned to the national four-year plan.
Ghana has become the first country to approve a malaria vaccine from the Oxford University.
The keenly-watched malaria vaccine from Oxford University secured its first approval, in Ghana, as the African country ramps up efforts to combat the mosquito-borne disease that kills a child every minute.
The effort is one of several focused on addressing the disease that kills over 600,000 each year, most of them children in Africa.
The complicated structure and lifecycle of the malaria parasite has long stymied efforts to develop vaccines.
After decades of work, the first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix from British drugmaker GSK, was last year endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), but a lack of funding and commercial potential has thwarted the company’s capacity to produce as many doses as needed.
The Oxford vaccine, which has secured regulatory approval in the age group at highest risk of death from malaria – children aged 5 months to 36 months – has a manufacturing advantage thanks to a deal with Serum Institute of India to produce up to 200 million doses annually.
In contrast, GSK has committed to produce up to 15 million doses of Mosquirix every year through 2028, well under the roughly 100 million doses a year of the four-dose vaccine the WHO says is needed long-term to cover around 25 million children.
Mid-stage data from the Oxford vaccine trial involving more than 400 young children was published in a medical journal in September.
Vaccine effectiveness was 80% in the group that received a higher dose of the immune-boosting adjuvant component of the vaccine, and 70% in the lower-dose adjuvant group, at 12 months following the fourth dose. The doses were administered ahead of the peak malaria season in Burkina Faso.
Data from an ongoing phase III clinical trial in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania that has enrolled 4,800 children is expected to be published in a medical journal in the coming months.
However, late-stage data – which suggests a similar vaccine performance as in the phase II trial – has been shared with regulatory authorities over the last six months, Oxford scientist Adrian Hill said.
Childhood vaccines in Africa are typically paid for by international organisations such as Gavi and UNICEF after they have been backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This is the first time a major vaccine has been approved first in an African country, before rich nations, Hill added, noting that it was unusual that a regulatory authority in Africa had reviewed the data quicker than the WHO.
“Particularly since COVID, African regulators have been taking a much more proactive stance, they’ve been saying…we don’t want to be last in the queue.”
According to David Tenkorang, general secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association(GRNMA), the senior health professionals leaving to other countries are the experienced and competent ones.
He said if this situation is not attended to immediately, it will have a dire impact on healthcare delivery in Ghana.
Mr Tenkorang identified what is causing the brain drain among health workers after indicating that the salaries of nurses and midwives are not the best.
Also, he said, the general condition of service for health workers is poor.
He was commenting on the red listing of Ghana by theWorld Health Organisation(WHO) and the United Kingdom (UK).
Ghana was included on a list of 54 countries that should not be targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers in the UK due to a UHC Service Coverage Index lower than 50 and a density of doctors, nurses, and midwives below the global median.
Mr Tenkorang told Martin Asiedu Darteh on the Midday Live on TV3 Wednesday, April 12 that “it is quite a disturbing issue because it is going to negatively impact the healthcare delivery in Ghana.
“The government has set out to build Agenda 111 and all these hospitals will have to be populated by nurses and midwives. If we don’t take in drastic actions to stop the situation, it will certainly adversely impact healthcare delivery.”
He added: “As far as 2020, we saw this coming even before Covid reared its ugly head because some of the Scandinavian and European countries have had their nurses move out of UK and therefore we have a certain kind of attrition. The salaries of midwives and nurses in Ghana is nothing to write home about.”
“We need our skilled manpower to take care of the good people of this country. Those who are leaving are not the ones who just completed school, they are the experienced ones, those who have ten years to go on retirement, those who have fifteen years.
“So there is going to be a vacuum because these are the very experienced, competent nurses and midwives who should mentor the newly recruited. If we allow them to leave the way they are leaving, then we will have problems.”
In order to address Africa’s issues with regard to health investments, training, and employment, the Minister of Health,Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has called for global synergies.
He said while the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the global community were discussing the protection of health investments and boosting health workforce with more emphasis on Africa, it was very important for stakeholders to appreciate that most African countries were saddled with challenges that required global support.
He was speaking at the fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Geneva.
“Everybody is talking about Africa.
Our country’s context is not that bleak but in some other African Countries, there is that challenge.
“Can we build global and regional synergies? Can we push some from one side to the other?
Can we put investments into areas lacking?
“ This is a problem that needs a global approach to resolve, I suspect that those holding the funds can do human resource capacity building across Africa, that will be helpful a lot in the global health workforce discussions,” Mr Agyeman-Manu emphasised. Global Forum
The forum was held on the theme; “Protecting, safeguarding, and investing in the health and care workforce”.
It examined the required policy solutions, investments and multi-sectoral partnerships to address health and care workforce challenges and advance health systems towards universal health coverage and health security.
The outcomes will inform the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on UHC in September 2023.
The WHO is recommending that all countries increase the graduation of health personnel to reach 8 to 12 per cent of the active workforce per annum.
This means that a country with a total of 5000 physicians will need to graduate between 400 and 600 physicians each year to maintain and improve capacity in relation to population needs and health system demands. Health work force, country situation
Mr Agyeman-Manu said around half of the world’s health workers experienced burnt-out during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 55 countries faced serious shortages of health workers – exacerbated by the poaching of skilled staff by wealthier countries.
“Many countries are struggling to retain health workers, ensure they are equitably distributed, ensure an adequate skills mix, and battling to mitigate their health workers mobility and migration.
However, citing the country’s situation, Mr Agyeman-Manu said the issue of training and employing health workforce was as bleak as it looked in other African countries because the country was producing a huge number of health workforce who were expecting the government to employ them.
“The challenge is that the health sector is attracting a lot of the over a million products of the government’s free Senior High School graduates because the country has an automatic recruitment policy in the health sector after health training.
“The government can no longer soak that anymore so how do we continue to train and keep them.
This is a challenge and these are things we may have to look at when discussing protecting health investments,” he said. Applause
Mr Agyeman-Manu said although the country’s primary health system had been applauded globally, the country was not there yet.
“We all agree that more investments are required in the health workforce. We also need to protect health investments.
“The world is currently seeing inflation and low growth rate and the negative socio-economic impact of COVID-19,” he said.
He said the issue then was how individual countries and the global community could protect health investments as recommended in the face of all the challenges.
“If we continue to train without investments into facilities and scaling up equipment and all that, what would be the use of the workforce?” he querried.
He said during the COVID-19 active period, the country managed to recruit about 50, 000 plus additional health workers who were sitting in their homes doing nothing.
He said the number had been maintained but there still remained a huge backlog yet to be put on government payroll due to financial challenges.
The minister reiterated that health professionals in the country needed to upgrade themselves and improve their skills, hence the need to establish specialist colleges and introduce new programmes of specialisation that would be useful for the country. Africa Charter
Mr Agyeman Manu appealed to global delegates to support the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter, which Ghana spearheaded last year after COVID-19 exposed continental weaknesses.
The charter aims to align and stimulate investments to half the inequalities in access to health workers, especially in countries with the greatest shortages.
“The 5.3 million shortage comes amid 30 per centunemployment or underemployment among graduates,” said Mr Manu.
“We are also adversely impacted by unmanaged migration.
This is not just an African problem for Africa.
The world is interdependent, and we must act together.
“It is time for governments to show leadership in health workforce investments.
It is time for us to align and synergise efforts with all partners in prioritising health workforce investments.
It is time to walk the talk,” Mr Agyeman-Manu concluded, appealing for global support for the charter. WHO response
The Director-General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a response to the challenges, announced at the closing plenary that he would establish a multisectoral advisory group of experts that would provide him with the evidence for action in support of national health policy and workforce priorities.
“This advisory group will comprise government and partners with expertise in education, finance, gender, economy, health and labour, and will report to a WHO global policy group which will include me and the six regional directors,” he said
He said some of the key outcomes of the forum would be forwarded to the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meetings on Universal Health Coverage and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response in September 2023.
Nigeria has been battling cholera for so many years. It is highly contagious and occurs in places without safe water and proper sanitation. It causes profuse diarrhoea and vomiting, and without treatment can quickly lead to severe dehydration followed by death .
At about 6:40 pm on 17 January 2023, Gift Sunday-James, (35 years) shouts for help as she approaches the Primary Health Centre (PHC) located in Ovomum, Obabura Local Government Area (LGA), in Cross River State.
Her brother Emmanuel Sunday-James, conveyed in a taxi, had been stooling and vomiting continuously and was now dehydrated and could not move.
“As a farmer, my usual practice was to drink water from the stream near my farm” says Mr Emmanuel.
On that fateful day Mr Emmanuel fell ill, he recalled drinking water from the stream.
“I was passing watery stool and vomiting for about four hours after getting home. I felt like I was dying, and I am grateful for the quick intervention I got at the health facility, he says.
At the clinic, Mr Emmanuel was placed on Intravenous Fluid (IVU) and subsequently on oral rehydration solution.
Furthermore, a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) was conducted on his stool sample and it tested positive for cholera.
Mr Emmanuel has since been discharged and now advises people to drink purified water either by boiling or using water purifiers.
“I don’t want anybody to experience what I went through,” he says.
Interrupting the outbreak transmission
Aside from Mr Emmanuel. many people have reported cases of stooling and vomiting in other LGAs (Abi, Biase and Obabura, and Ikom,Etung). While some got better after being hospitalized, some died from the disease particularly those who reported late for treament.
An epidemiological report from the State Ministry of Health shows that 638 suspected cases and 17 deaths have been reported between December 2022 and February 2023 in the affected LGAs.
To stop further fatalities, the state government, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, set up a Rapid Response Team (RRT) comprising experts to coordinate the interruption of the disease,” says Dr Janet Ekpeyong, the Cross River State Commissioner of Health.
“With support from partners, we increased the capacity of existing cholera treatment centres (CTC) in the hotspot LGAs. The government is committed to taking action to ensure residents of the state have access to safe drinking water and sanitation services to reduce the incidences of cholera and other waterborne infectious diseases.
Commending WHO for its prompt support, Dr Ekpeyong says “WHO is a dependable lead partner providing technical guidance, coordination and also donated medical commodities for the emergency cholera intervention in the state.
Part of WHO’s support to the state included the donation of Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) cholera kits, and Cary Blair medium for transporting stool samples for culture testing for effective diagnosis of the patients.
In addition, 2000 intravenous fluids, cannula and oral rehydration salts and Infection Prevention Control (IPC) commodities were donated.
“The donated medical commodities eased testing and case management, says the WHO State Coordinator in Cross River State, Dr Yewande Olatunde.
Dr Olatunde explains that WHO further supported the replenishment of testing and treatment commodities at the 29 cholera treatment units (CTU) in three hotspot LGAs.
“To enusure all cases receive prompt care at the facilities, WHO conducted an extensive training for health professionals on treatment, and increasing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures,” she adds.
Robust community engagement Further working with community leaders and volunteers from the affected communities, WHO partnered with the state to promote educational risk messaging on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and conducted decontamination of homes of active and recovered persons, health facilities attending to cases and providing IPC materials to volunteering community members.
The WHO-trained volunteers from the affected communities conducted house-to-house (H2H) awareness campaigns to stop the spread of the disease.
From December to January, 4811 households were covered, and 88 607 residents were educated about WASH and IPC control measures in the three hotspot LGAs of the state.
Base on the integrated support and coordinated response, there has been a decline in the number of cases reported since January. ( 69% decline between Epi-weeks 3 and 7, 2023). Other partners involved in the response are Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), UNICEF, Medicine San Frontier (MSF) and Save the Children, who donated commodities to strengthen the Cholera response.
Every year, tobacco use kills more than 6,700 Ghanaians, with 66 percent of these deaths occurring prematurely in people under the age of 70, according to a report from the Ministry of Health, the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), the World Health Organization(WHO), the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Secretariat, WHO, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
These statistics denote many more Ghanaians are not able to quit tobacco or smoking, in general, irrespective of the rehabilitation and restrictive laws eschewing people from smoking.
It is on this score that the Executive Director of the Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation, (ILAPI), Mr. Peter Bismark Kwofie has called on stakeholders in the health sector and policymakers to consciously develop an educative medium-long term gradual approach to reducing tobacco use rather than a short-term radical approach of denying consumers the right to make choices.
“ILAPI as a free enterprise organization that emphasizes freedom and individual liberty, profess other important and evidence-based alternatives to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and subsequently leading to quitting smoking.
Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use kills approximately eight (8) million people annually, with more than even (7) million of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In addition, it causes lung cancer, tobacco use increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic illnesses.
Experts say the most effective way to prevent tobacco-related deaths is to quit smoking completely, however, addictive smokers are reluctant and unable to quit.
This according to Mr. Bismark Kwofie calls for harm reduction strategies which is crucial as an effective public health solution.
He noted that absolutely quitting the habit of smoking has been quite unsustainable, repressive, and draconian.
Over the past decades, smoke cessation has been promulgated as the best approach to helping combustible smokers to quit. The addictive nature of the nicotine in cigarettes has made quitting smoking a prolonged and difficult process and that, many more smokers are unable to quit.
It is estimated that $115 billion is needed to be invested to help in smoking cessation from 2020–2030. In 2019, the economic cost of tobacco use in Ghana amounted to approximately GH668 million, equivalent to 0.2 percent of the country’s GDP.
The Executive Director of ILAPI is of the view that health workers, social workers, other relevant stakeholders, and policymakers should consider other alternatives which will be less costly and harmful measures to address the consumer choice addiction rate of tobacco.
“In this context, it is crucial to explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) and weigh them against the well-established harmfulness of tobacco use to develop effective strategies for reducing tobacco consumption in Ghana.” He reiterated.
The Executive Director of ILAPI stressed that THR as a public solution recognizes the harm caused by combustible cigarettes and aims to minimize the health impacts of cigarette smoking by encouraging those adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives ought to be explored in our contemporary society.
Mr. Kwofie thinks that there could be a geo-cultural diversification of solutions to tobacco control but cautioned that the state should conduct and adopt empirically proven techniques as an alternative to reduce harm and death caused by Tobacco whilst not curtailing consumer choice.
“The inhumane and unscientific “Quit or Die” policy should not be reinforced. Instead of putting vapers and consumers at risk, this is a very good opportunity to raise awareness about THR in general, and encourage smokers who cannot quit smoking to adopt it.” He said.
There has been a school of thought of increasing taxes on tobacco products and banning THR products are the best initiatives to prevent people from smoking. But according to the Executive Director of ILAPI, anytime taxes (excise and consumption taxes) on products are high, the rich could buy and the middle-income and poor would engage in smuggling adding to the cost of fighting illicit transactions on tobacco.
“High taxes on tobacco products as means of cessation is not public health,” he retorted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that there have been eight further confirmed cases of Marburg disease in Equatorial Guinea.
Since the epidemic of the fatal disease comparable to Ebola was identified in February, there have been nine laboratory-confirmed cases and 20 probable cases. There have reportedly been 20 fatalities.
The WHO said in a statement that of the eight new cases, two were reported from the Kie-Ntem province of the Central African nation, four from the Litoral province, and two from the Centre-Sur province.
The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometres (93 miles) apart, suggesting a wider transmission of the virus, the WHO said.
“The confirmation of these new cases is a critical signal to scale up response efforts to quickly stop the chain of transmission,” WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti said in the statement.
Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea. There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat it.
Neighbouring Cameroon also detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease last month despite restricting movement along the border to avoid contagion.
The World Health Organization has warned that China is under-representing the true impact of Covid in the country – in particular deaths.
The removal of most restrictions last month has led to a surge in cases.
But China has stopped publishing daily cases data, and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December, using its own strict criteria.
“We believe that definition [of a Covid death] is too narrow,” WHO emergencies director Dr Michael Ryan said.
Dr Ryan said China’s figures “under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths”.
China last month changed its criteria for what constitutes a Covid death, meaning only those who die of respiratory illnesses are counted.
This goes against WHO guidance, which encourages countries to count the number of excess deaths – how many more people die than would normally be expected based on death figures before the pandemic hit.
Dr Ryan added that China had increased its engagement with the WHO in recent weeks, and said he looked forward to receiving “more comprehensive data.”
But he also suggested individual health workers could report their own data and experiences.
“We do not discourage doctors and nurses reporting these deaths and these cases,” Dr Ryan said. “We have an open approach to be able to record the actual impact of disease in society.”
The UK science data company Airfinity estimates more than two million Covid cases a day in China, and 14,700 deaths.
Since China abandoned key parts of its “zero-Covid” strategy almost a month ago, there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed.
More than a dozen nations have introduced travel restrictions on travellers from China. Beijing has criticised these as politically motivated and threatened to retaliate.
On Wednesday, the European Union issued new guidance “strongly” recommending that all member states introduce the requirement that passengers flying from China provide a negative Covid test before their departure.
No new Covid variants have been detected in China, despite the surge in cases. However, the WHO has warned this could be due to a decrease in testing.
The Chinese authorities have announced they are sending medical supplies to rural hospitals before an expected wave of coronavirus infections in the countryside – where vaccination rates are patchy.
Dr Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director of the WHO’s alert and response coordination department, has warned China may see another wave of infections as families gather for China’s Lunar New Year in a few weeks – one of the country’s busiest travel periods.
Under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), everyone has access to the complete spectrum of high-quality medical treatments they require whenever and wherever they need them, without having to struggle financially to do so.
It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. According to the latest UHC index Zimbabwe stands at 55% above the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 46%.
To make health for all (UHC) a reality for all in Zimbabwe, His Excellency Honorable Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr C.D.G.N Chiwenga recently launched the Health Resilience Fund (HRF), a pooled donor funding mechanism which seeks to accelerate progress towards achieving UHC. The fund was launched together with the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2021-2025, the NHS Investment Case and the National Health Sector Coordination Framework (HSCF). The priority interventions to be funded under the HRF will be informed by the NHS and the HSCF will enable stronger collaborations and coordinated response to the health issues in Zimbabwe.
Three UN Agencies (UNFPA, UNICEFand WHO) together with the MoHCC will take leadership in the implementation of the HRF. The donors who have pooled the funding into the HRF include the European Union, the Government of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Speaking during the launch of HRF and strategies, Dr Chiwenga emphasized on the importance of collaboration in the achievement of UHC. “As the name suggest the HRF is designed to ensure resilient and sustainable health system. The challenges and lessons learnt were critically analyzed to come up with health interventions which consider scarcity of resources and the need for improved efficiency in our programming,” he said.
“The government remains focused on achieving the highest standard of health care and quality of life possible for all its citizens,” he added.
The HRF is aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2021-2025. The HRF will contribute improving health care for vulnerable mothers, new-born, children, and adolescents in Zimbabwe under the coordination of the MoHCC with support from WHO, UNFPA, and UNICEF. The Fund with a budget of approximately USD 90 million will focus on three health pillars: ending preventable maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent deaths; global health security; and health systems strengthening. WHO will provide technical and operational support to MoHCC in strengthening public health emergency surveillance and response at all levels of the health system including community level under the HRF.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Zimbabwe Mr Edward Kallon noted,“the HRF and the result of partnerships among partners, will also impact positively on other sectors, Education, WASH, gender equality and equity, job creation, thus enabling the achievement of other SDGs, including strengthening the resilience of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
Speaking during the HRF and strategies launch, European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Jobst von Kirchman, highlighted “the EU committed $USD45 million towards the HRF. A healthy population is the engine of a country’s economy,” he said.
The MoHCC developed NHS (2021–2025) to guide the implementation of programs to improve the health and wellness of the population. The NHS (2021-2025) focuses on building on a resilient and sustainable health system premised on UHC policies approach. Given the considerable gap between the costs of the proposed set interventions and strategies of NHS 2021-2025 and resources available, the MoHCC developed the Investment Case to the National Health Strategy (2021–2025) to ensure mobilize required resources that will be directed towards prioritized high impact interventions. The need for collaboration and coordination remains key in accelerating the implementation of the NHS 2021-2025 as Zimbabwe progresses towards UHC.
In addition, to strengthen the intra-ministerial and multi sectoral coordination MoHCC developed the Health Sector Coordination Framework (HSCF). The latter’s main objective is to coordinate shared effort by the MoHCC and all key stakeholders with a stake in financing, planning, and implementing health related interventions to maximize health outcomes and ultimately attaining UHC.
Speaking on behalf of WHO Zimbabwe Country Representative a.i Professor Jean-Marie Dangou, Dr Lincoln Charimari (Emergencies Incident Manager) noted, “WHO remains committed to support Zimbabwe to achieve UHC. The HRF and new strategies are timely interventions that will significantly contribute towards building sustainable and resilient health systems which can adequately respond to public health emergencies and ensure health security.”
As the nation takes up control efforts against an epidemic that has so far resulted in 5260 illnesses and 37 fatalities since September 2022, Mozambiquetoday launched a cholera vaccine campaign that would reach around 720 000 people in eight districts.
People aged one year and older will be vaccinated in the five-day campaign, which started just 10 days after the country took delivery of vaccine doses. Alongside the vaccination campaign, health authorities are also reinforcing disease surveillance, prevention and control measures, treatment as well as raising public awareness to curb the spread of the disease and end the outbreak.
“The vaccination campaign will be crucial in stemming the spread of cholera and help save lives,” said Dr Severin von Xylander, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mozambique. “We are also working with the health authorities to bolster key outbreak response measures and have deployed staff in the three most affected provinces to support the provincial health authorities to detect, prevent and halt cholera this outbreak.”
WHO has also disbursed US$ 856 000 to support the response in Mozambique and provided medical supplies and medicines. Mozambique recorded a sharp increase in cases since mid-December 2022. Cholera has so far been reported in five of the country’s 11 provinces. The northern Niassa, Sofala and Tete provinces are the worst affected.
During the vaccination campaign vaccinators will use a mixed approach of vaccinating patients in health centres, through mobile teams and by door-to-door visits. Oral cholera vaccines will be used in conjunction with improvements in water and sanitation to control cholera outbreaks and for prevention in areas known to be high risk for the disease.
“We celebrate the launch of this vital immunization campaign alongside the Government of Mozambique and our Alliance partners.” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director, Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “The recent rise in disease outbreaks and the risks they present demonstrate the importance of our work in funding the Global Oral Cholera Vaccine Stockpile, cholera response campaigns and access to outbreak response vaccines for diseases such as cholera, measles, yellow fever and polio.”
Despite a global shortage of cholera vaccines and increased demand due to a rise in outbreaks globally, WHO and its partners, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and have been able to supply vaccines to countries most affected by cholera in the southern Africa. Mozambique received around 720 000 doses of the oral cholera vaccine.
The strain on the availability of vaccines prompted the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision to temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination regimen in cholera outbreak response campaigns, using instead a single-dose approach. The ICG is an initiative which aims to manage emergency supplies of vaccines and is a partnership of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins sans Frontières United Nations Children’s Fund and WHO.
Cholerais an acute, extremely virulent infection that can spread rapidly and cause dehydration resulting in high morbidity and mortality. However, the disease is easily treatable. Most people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution or intravenous fluids.
The disease is endemic in Mozambique and, together with other diarrhoeal diseases, is a major cause of infant death. There are yearly outbreaks in the country’s northern provinces.
Cholera transmission is closely linked with poor sanitation and inadequate access to safe drinking water. Extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods are worsening the cholera risks. In Mozambique, floods due to the current rainy season have affected over 39 000 people, claimed nine lives and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, health centres and 76 000 homes.
Rapid diagnostic testing for everyone residing within 100 meters of newly confirmed cases helped break transmission chains and greatly increased the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations through reactive immunization as Liberia battled escalating COVID-19 cases in 2022.
The community-based testing strategy to decentralize COVID-19 response allowed health workers to conduct door-to-door community sensitization to tackle COVID-19 misinformation, including myths about vaccination. The approach helped the country reach 81% vaccination coverage of the population by the end of 2022.
With financial and technical support from World Health Organization (WHO), mobile health teams administered tens of thousands of rapid tests in Nimba, Margibi and Montserrado counties, which are home to nearly half of Liberia’s total population.
With polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests mostly no longer mandatory for cross-border travellers, the community-based response initiative enabled surveillance and monitoring of epidemiological trends to augment virus control measures.
The initiative, which uses rapid tests to counter the challenge of identifying COVID-19 cases outside health facilities, was launched in Liberia in July 2022. By the end of last year, 74 000 rapid tests had been administered.
“Expanding testing in communities using the antigen tests is helping provide a better way for the country to respond to the pandemic,” says Chea Sanford Wesseh, Assistant Minister for Vital Statistics in Liberia’s Ministry of Health, adding that there are plans to broaden their use beyond the three counties.
In practice, the mobile teams target everyone living within a 100-metre radius of new confirmed COVID-19 cases, administering rapid tests to identify other potential cases. The technology is simple, making it suitable for use in all settings.
Anyone who tests positive and requires treatment is linked to their nearest health facility. In cases where patients are either experiencing mild symptoms or asymptomatic, they are managed under home- based isolation and care, receiving infection prevention and control materials, including information on COVID-19 risk factors and prevention measures such as vaccination and handwashing.
“With testing in communities, we are reaching both the asymptomatic and symptomatic cases. That way we are undertaking timely isolation of confirmed cases leading to a break in the chain of transmission,” explains Dr Monday Julius, the WHO team lead for health emergencies in Liberia.
The positive impact on vaccination uptake saw Liberia join Mauritius, Rwanda and Seychelles as the only fourAfricancountries to achieve the 70% global vaccination coverage target by December 2022.
Victoria Dekpah, a student at Nimba University in Liberia, was among those convinced to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when health workers visited her community.
“I didn’t think it was important to test. Many people were afraid of knowing their status and what would happen to them. But after listening to the health worker, I volunteered to take the test and it turned out positive. I isolated myself at home and the health worker visited me regularly until I tested negative again. I also got vaccinated thereafter,” she says.
Isaac Cole, County Surveillance Officer in Nimba, blames rampant misinformation surrounding COVID-19 for the reluctance among Liberians to accept testing and vaccination. But working with local leaders who are trusted by their communities, he says, is changing attitudes.
“The people now know that once they are tested and found to be positive, they will be taken care of either at the health facility or through the home-based care approach. When we go to communities, health workers also lead by example by being vaccinated first, as one of the ways of dispelling myths about vaccination and its effect on the body,” he adds.
WHO is supporting 18 other African countries to implement community-based COVID-19 response, with more than 400 000 rapid tests carried out to date. Across these countries, rapid testing currently accounts for at least 60% of all COVID-19 testing.
