World Health Day: Ghana urges health responsibility

Ghana has marked World Health Day with a call for improved health literacy to enhance service utilisation and strengthen healthcare delivery nationwide.

The event also launched Consumer Health Week, aimed at empowering citizens to make informed healthcare decisions and demand quality services.

A speech read on behalf of Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, at the launch in Accra, said the country must shift from merely providing services to ensuring that citizens understand and use them effectively.

“We must build a Ghana where every citizen has the knowledge and confidence to take charge of their own health,” he declared.

Mr. Akandoh said that despite investments in infrastructure, workforce, and community health programmes, a gap remained between available services and public understanding.

“That gap is health literacy,” he said. “And closing it will save lives.”

He said Consumer Health Week sought to place the Ghanaian consumer at the center of healthcare delivery by encouraging citizens to ask questions, demand quality, and make informed choices.

The Minister called for collaboration among the government, the private sector, civil society, and communities, stressing the role of citizens in strengthening the system.

“Informed patients strengthen the entire health system,” he said.

Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, said regulation alone could not protect an uninformed public.

“We do not only regulate – we educate and empower,” he said, urging citizens to report adverse drug reactions and remain vigilant against unsafe products. “Every report matters. Every report protects someone.”

Dr Fiona Braka, World Health Organization Country Representative, urged stakeholders to prioritise science in healthcare delivery.

“Stand with science,” she said, noting that Ghana’s gains in disease control and life expectancy were driven by research, data, and collective action.

“Science has brought us this far. It must take us further,” she added, calling for increased investment in innovation, data systems, and resilient healthcare delivery.

The 2026 World Health Day is on the theme: “Together for Health. Stand With Science.”

The two-day Consumer Health Week Summit and Health Expo, organised by the Ghana Health Service, is on the theme: “Empowering Consumers, Strengthening Health Systems.”

Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, urged citizens to act on health information to improve outcomes.

She said the government would soon launch a free primary healthcare policy to strengthen preventive care at the community level and promote healthy living.