In a post on X, the award-winning musician said vendors could make a significant difference to their businesses by adopting basic hygiene practices such as wearing gloves, nose masks and hair caps.

“Only if roadside food vendors knew how much of a difference it would make in their sales if they took hygiene a bit more seriously. Simple things like gloves, nose masks, hair caps, etc would go a long way and boost sales significantly” he said.

Sarkodie’s comments highlight the importance of maintaining good hygiene when preparing and serving food, particularly for vendors who operate along busy roads and public spaces.

The Mpraeso MP said the immediate priority should be for the Audit Service to explain why expenditure by the Ministries of Local Government and Transport was not captured in the report.

His comments follow investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s latest investigation into COVID-19 expenditure.

The investigation found that the Auditor-General’s special audit reported GH¢96.3 million as COVID-19 fumigation expenditure, while documents from the Ministries of Education, Local Government and Transport pointed to at least GH¢780 million spent on fumigation.

Mr Ansah Opoku said the GH¢96.3 million figure should not be automatically interpreted as the total COVID-19 fumigation expenditure.

“What I’m saying is that, from about 6:00 p.m. when we were called on JoyNews, the impression has been created that just GH¢96.3 million of the over GH¢700 million had been reported on COVID-19 expenditure, especially when it came to fumigation activities.”

“Now, it turns out that that isn’t the case. I mean, the GH¢96.3 million was for a specific Ghana Education Service activity, and it was captured in the report,” he said.

He acknowledged that the audit report did not provide extensive details on some areas of expenditure.

“And the report goes further to give further—and I can understand, there wasn’t much explanation on local government fumigation activities, I didn’t see much on transport, and all of that.”

However, he rejected calls for arrests based solely on the omissions identified so far.

“But this does not call for arrest, like just like what my senior Rockson sought to create that impression. I mean, we do not need to arrest people at this point.”

Mr Ansah Opoku said the Auditor-General is not required to report every item audited if no infraction is identified.

“It is not everything that the Auditor-General reports—audits that he reports on.”

“I think that point must be made clear. If there’s no infraction, do not expect the Auditor-General to report on that, and then maybe we may have to be dealing with several pages or several paragraphs of the Auditor-General’s report, even on institutions that are performing well and do not have any infraction.”

He said the Public Accounts Committee should first establish why the Local Government and Transport expenditure was omitted and determine the actual figures involved.

“And so, what we need to find out from the Auditor-General, and from the Audit Service, is why you omitted that of Local Government and that of Transport.”

“What are the figures? Present them to us, and we will audit.”

Also read:

• GH¢299m COVID fumigation spending was audited but left out of report – Manasseh Awuni

• People should be arrested – Dafeamekpor demands action over audit claims

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, the South Dayi MP said the revelations could point to one of the most serious public finance scandals of the Fourth Republic.

“If what Manasseh Azure Awuni is further revealing is what is actually the case, then arguably we have the greatest public finance scandal of maybe the Fourth Republic,” he said.

His comments follow Mr Awuni’s latest investigation into Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure, which has raised questions over how pandemic funds were accounted for and reported.

Mr Dafeamekpor said the allegations become more serious if evidence shows that the Auditor-General’s office conducted a special audit but failed to report material findings to Parliament.

He cited Section 16 of the Audit Service Act, which he said requires the Auditor-General and his officers to report their findings from a special audit to Parliament.

“So where the evidence, the pieces of material evidence that he’s pieced together, points irresistibly to the fact that they actually conducted the audit of the Ministry of Local Government and Transport, but in reporting to Parliament, concealed material findings and perhaps recommendations for consideration by Parliament and perhaps led to legislative reforms from Parliament, they’re in breach of Section 16,” he said.

Mr Dafeamekpor said such an alleged failure would concern the statutory obligation attached to special audits.

“That’s under special audits,” he added.

The South Dayi MP said he was considering issuing a statement on the matter, but indicated that the allegations would require urgent action if they were established.

“So me, I’m really hesitating to issue the statement I’m minded to do,” he said.

“If this is really the issue tonight, then people should be arrested, and the arrests should be happening before daybreak tomorrow, because this cannot be countenanced under any circumstances in this country.”

His comments add political pressure to questions raised by Mr Awuni’s investigation over the handling and reporting of COVID-19 expenditure.

Also read:

• GH¢299m COVID fumigation spending was audited but left out of report – Manasseh Awuni

• COVID-19 fumigation: Withholding or underreporting GH¢720m expenditure would be serious offence – Domelevo

The President of Global Health and Swiss Country Director of Novartis, Dr. Lutz Hegeman, made this pronouncement when he led a delegation from the company to engage the management of the Trust Fund.

Dr. Hegeman said Novartis is prepared to work closely with the GMTF to ensure that more Ghanaians living with chronic diseases could access financial support for specialised treatment.

He commended the Trust Fund’s mandate to address critical gaps in healthcare delivery and technology, saying its objectives closely aligned with the work of Novartis.

Support for research

Dr Hegeman expressed particular interest in collaboration between Novartis and the GMTF in research and development.

He said Novartis is willing to provide support, including much-needed medical equipment, to strengthen specialised healthcare delivery in Ghana and also pledged the company’s support for training as part of efforts to build the capacity of healthcare professionals.

GMTF’s one-year impact

The Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, used the engagement to highlight the Trust Fund’s achievements since its establishment a year ago.

Among the milestones, she cited the commissioning of an ultra-modern Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

She also pointed to the donation of medical equipment and consumables to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), as well as the Trust Fund’s ongoing construction of two cardiology centres at the Komfo Anokye and Tamale Teaching Hospitals.

Beyond infrastructure and equipment, Ms. Darko-Opoku said the Trust Fund had begun actively disbursing financial support directly to accredited treatment centres to help patients meet the cost of high-cost chronic care.

The support covers conditions and treatments including dialysis, cancer treatment, renal care and cardiovascular diseases that fall outside the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

“We have also spearheaded ongoing specialist medical training and efforts to bridge critical equipment deficits, including MRI and CT scanners, in regional facilities,” she said.

The engagement is expected to open up further opportunities for collaboration between Novartis and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund in specialised healthcare, research and development, medical equipment and professional training.

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The equipment upgrades the Centre’s cardiopulmonary bypass system, which is critical to the performance of open-heart procedures, and replaces an older-generation unit previously in use.

The donation is expected to improve operational efficiency during critical cardiovascular procedures and enhance the Centre’s capacity to provide cardiac care to patients.

Chief Executive of Quantum LC, Dr Joseph Titus Glover, said the donation formed part of the company’s commitment to supporting vital medical services at the NCTC.

“Whenever our good friend needs something, we try and support. We just donated a heater-cooler equipment used to support heart surgeries, and we are happy we show this kind of gesture to the National Cardiothoracic Centre,” he said.

Receiving the equipment on behalf of the Centre, its Director, Dr Kow Entsua-Mensah, expressed appreciation to Quantum LC and WBHO Ltd for the support.

He described the donation as an extension of the longstanding relationship between the two institutions, noting that the partnership had its roots in a friendship forged during their days at Achimota School.

“For my part, I want to say a sincere thank you to Quantum LC/WBHO Ltd. This gesture is an extension of the friendship forged during our days at Achimota School, which has blossomed today to the benefit of the many patients who need heart surgery,” Dr Entsua-Mensah said.

He said the Centre looked forward to deepening its collaboration with Quantum LC and WBHO Ltd as both sides explored additional areas of partnership.

The donation follows a recent medical outreach by staff of the NCTC at the mining operations of Quantum LC/WBHO, where cardiac-related services were provided to workers and residents in communities within the companies’ operational catchment area.

Dr Entsua-Mensah said the Centre valued the partnership and was committed to expanding the collaboration.

“In the coming years, we as partners want to re-double our collaborative efforts to the greater benefit of Ghanaian heart patients,” he said.

The €75,000 equipment donation by Quantum LC and WBHO Ltd adds to support for the NCTC’s specialist cardiac services, particularly in the area of open-heart surgery, where reliable cardiopulmonary bypass equipment is essential.

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The agreement was signed by the Ministries of Health and Labour, Jobs and Employment after months of technical discussions with their counterparts in the United States.

According to the Ministry of Health, the partnership will pave the way for detailed arrangements for the ethical recruitment and deployment of Ghanaian health professionals, particularly nurses, to the US.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the agreement goes beyond recruitment, stressing that any deployment arrangement must protect the rights, welfare and professional interests of Ghanaian health workers.

He said the initiative forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to secure credible and decent international employment opportunities for Ghanaian health professionals in line with Ghana’s Migration Policy and international standards.

Mr Akandoh explained that the partnership builds on the existing sister-city relationship between Accra and Columbus, as well as the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.

He assured health professionals that the government would continue to pursue partnerships that create decent employment opportunities abroad while ensuring that the welfare and professional rights of recruited workers are protected.

The Minister said such engagements would be guided by Ghana’s Migration Policy, international best practices and global standards.

The agreement is expected to create a structured channel for qualified Ghanaian nurses and other health professionals to explore employment opportunities in Columbus, Ohio, while providing safeguards around their recruitment and deployment.

Read the full statement below

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The donation, presented on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, is part of the Bank’s corporate social responsibility efforts aimed at widening access to quality healthcare and supporting interventions that can save lives.

A delegation from Fidelity Bank Ghana, led by its Deputy Managing Director, Kwabena Boateng, visited the Fund to formally present the donation.

He was accompanied by John Paul Taabavi, Divisional Director, Corporate and Institutional Banking; Vincent Musah, Director, Public Sector Group; Joshua Elikplim Agbo, Senior Manager, Public Sector Group; Edwin Tei Mensah, Relationship Officer, Public Sector Group; and Ms. Marjorie Myers Quansah, CSR Coordinator.

‘Good health is the foundation of national development’

Speaking at the presentation, Mr. Boateng praised the Ghana Medical Trust Fund for its work in supporting Ghanaians who require specialized medical care, particularly those living with chronic non-communicable diseases.

He said Fidelity Bank was proud to support an institution whose interventions directly improve the lives of vulnerable people while contributing to the development of specialist healthcare capacity in the country.

“We are happy to support an institution which is providing financial assistance and specialist treatment for Ghanaians suffering from chronic non-communicable diseases and also training specialist health professionals,” he said.

Mr. Boateng said the donation reflected the Bank’s belief that access to quality healthcare was not only a social responsibility but also a critical ingredient for national development.

“This donation is not only a demonstration of the Bank’s strong corporate social responsibility agenda but also a reflection of its belief that good health is a foundation for national development,” he stated.

He further assured the Ghana Medical Trust Fund of Fidelity Bank’s continued support for initiatives aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery and improving outcomes for patients.

Donation comes at critical time

Receiving the donation, Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank Ghana for the timely intervention.

She said the GH¢200,000 would provide much-needed assistance in responding to the increasing burden of chronic non-communicable diseases and improve access to specialised medical care for vulnerable patients.

According to her, the growing demand for specialised healthcare requires strong collaboration between government and the private sector.

She therefore called for continued support from corporate institutions such as Fidelity Bank to complement government’s efforts to build a resilient and responsive healthcare system.

Ms. Darko-Opoku commended Fidelity Bank Ghana for the gesture and assured the Bank that its contribution would be put to its intended purpose.

She pledged that every contribution received by the Trust Fund would be channelled towards saving lives, supporting patients and creating lasting impact.

The GH¢200,000 donation adds to the growing role of private-sector partnerships in tackling Ghana’s healthcare challenges, particularly for patients whose access to specialised treatment is often constrained by financial difficulties.

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The Minister’s commendation followed remarks by the Medical Superintendent of the Kpandai Evangelical Church of Ghana Hospital, Dr Sonlaar Joseph, during the commissioning of the new facility.

Dr Sonlaar Joseph praised Dr Adu Gyamfi for her willingness to serve in Dambai despite the challenges associated with working in a developing area.

He noted that she accepted the opportunity without raising concerns about the distance from major cities such as Accra and Kumasi, accommodation challenges and other amenities often available to health professionals in urban areas.

According to him, her decision demonstrates a strong commitment to the healthcare profession and a willingness to serve communities where medical professionals are urgently needed.

Responding to the remarks, Mr Gyapong praised Dr Adu Gyamfi for accepting the posting and pledged the full support of the Oti Regional Coordinating Council as she begins her work at the facility.

He stressed that the willingness of health professionals to accept postings to underserved communities is essential to improving healthcare delivery across the Oti Region.

MP commends ECG for establishing hospital

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Krachi East, Nelson Kofi Djabab, has also commended the Evangelical Church of Ghana for establishing the hospital in Dambai.

Speaking in an interview with Adom News Correspondent, Odehyeba Owusu Job, the MP said the facility would significantly improve access to healthcare for residents of Dambai and surrounding communities.

He pledged his support, as well as that of relevant stakeholders in the constituency, to help the hospital secure the assistance required to operate effectively.

The establishment of the facility is expected to strengthen healthcare delivery in Dambai and reduce the difficulties residents face in accessing essential medical services, particularly those requiring immediate attention.

The exercise, which began in September 2026, aimed at marking World Rabies Month under the theme “Stronger Together” and supports Ghana’s goal of achieving zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.

According to the Department, vaccination will be provided free of charge throughout September 2026, after which the prescribed fees will apply.

The campaign will also include intensified public education on rabies prevention through schools, religious institutions, traditional and social media platforms, as well as community engagements.

The Veterinary Services Department has urged all pet owners to ensure that their dogs and cats are vaccinated against rabies every year.

It has also advised the public to report animal bites or scratches immediately to the nearest health facility and notify the nearest veterinary centre about the animal involved.

The Department stressed that rabies is virtually 100 per cent fatal once symptoms develop, although the disease is preventable through timely vaccination.

Pet owners have therefore been reminded that failure to vaccinate a dog or cat may constitute an offence under applicable Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA) bye-laws.

The Department is also calling on MMDAs, civil society organisations, religious and traditional authorities, development partners and private sector organisations to support the campaign with vaccines, logistics, public education and community mobilisation.

The nationwide exercise is expected to help increase vaccination coverage among domestic animals while strengthening public awareness and prevention efforts against rabies.

Known as the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER), the programme will focus on critical gaps in emergency referrals, transportation, staffing, blood supplies, medicines, essential medical equipment and health data.

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said PRIMER was designed to address challenges that individual health facilities could not tackle independently.

Speaking at the national launch of the initiative on Monday, September 14, 2026, she said the programme would bring together government agencies, local authorities, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.

“PRIMER is to help address obstacles that no single health institution can remove, whether in financing, infrastructure, staffing, procurement, data or community mobilisation,” she said.

The Vice President explained that the initiative would strengthen coordination across the health sector while complementing programmes already being implemented by the government and its development partners.

PRIMER will operate around three key areas: political leadership and social mobilisation; institutional accountability and evidence-based interventions; and sustainable domestic financing supported by responsible external assistance.

The programme will also prioritise maternity and newborn care, referral and transport systems, access to blood and essential medicines, medical equipment, community participation and the effective use of health data.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the initiative would strengthen maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response systems, improve the quality and timeliness of health data, and clearly define institutional responsibilities.

She added that regular high-level reviews would be conducted to assess progress, while successful interventions from regions and health facilities performing well would be replicated in other parts of the country.

“PRIMER cannot succeed as a stand-alone programme nor duplicate the work already underway across government,” she cautioned.

The Vice President stressed that improving maternal survival required collaboration beyond the health sector because issues such as transportation, communication, water and energy also influence access to timely healthcare.

She therefore called on families and communities to support pregnant women to seek medical attention early, identify danger signs and obtain the necessary assistance during pregnancy and childbirth.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the success of PRIMER would ultimately be determined by the survival of mothers and their babies rather than simply the number of women who visit health facilities.

“It is not enough for many more women to enter our health facilities. They must return home safely with their babies to their families,” she said.

The government expects PRIMER to provide a coordinated national response to longstanding maternal and newborn health challenges as Ghana intensifies efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.

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He said maternal survival should be treated as a key indicator of the effectiveness of the country’s healthcare system and its commitment to protecting women, families and future generations.

Dr Thompson made the call on Monday, September 14, 2026, at the national launch of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER).

He said Ghana must move beyond accepting maternal deaths as an unavoidable consequence of childbirth and instead build a system that guarantees pregnant women timely, respectful and quality care.

“It is to build a system in which every pregnant woman can expect timely, respectful and high-quality care and in which preventable maternal deaths are treated as failures that demand learning, correction, and immediate action,” he said.

According to the NDPC Chairman, PRIMER comes at a time when Ghana’s progress in reducing maternal mortality remains slow, requiring sustained political commitment, stronger coordination and clear accountability.

He said President John Dramani Mahama had drawn attention to the issue during the launch of Ghana’s 2025 Voluntary National Review Report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, describing the country’s stagnation in maternal health outcomes as unacceptable.

Dr Thompson stressed that maternal mortality was not solely a health-sector problem, arguing that factors such as transportation, public financing, infrastructure, education, social protection and household decision-making also influence maternal health outcomes.

“Maternal mortality cannot be reduced by the health sector alone,” he said.

He therefore called for a coordinated approach involving government institutions, health facilities, communities, civil society organisations, the private sector, traditional authorities and religious leaders.

Dr Thompson also urged leaders at all levels to take responsibility for maternal health outcomes, from central government through regional and district authorities to individual health facilities.

“Leadership must be demonstrated not only at the presidency or the Ministry of Health, but throughout government, in every region and district, within every health facility, and across all sectors whose decisions ultimately affect the health of women,” he stated.

He further encouraged traditional and religious leaders to help tackle misinformation, stigma and misconceptions that often prevent women from seeking timely medical attention.

He said communities must be equipped to identify pregnancy-related danger signs early and seek professional care promptly, while health facilities must have the capacity to respond effectively to emergencies.

Dr Thompson said the effectiveness of PRIMER would ultimately be measured by whether government commitments were backed by adequate funding, plans were implemented on time and institutions took responsibility for results.

He described maternal healthcare as an important component of Ghana’s human capital development, warning that avoidable maternal deaths have far-reaching consequences for families and the national economy.

“A country cannot realise its full human capital potential when women face avoidable risks in giving life, when families lose caregivers and income earners, and when children begin life without the care and security that their mothers provide,” he said.

The launch of PRIMER comes amid renewed calls for urgent action on Ghana’s maternal mortality situation, with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also describing preventable maternal deaths as a systems failure requiring stronger accountability.

Dr Thompson said PRIMER should therefore usher in a sustained and coordinated national effort to ensure that women no longer lose their lives from preventable causes during childbirth.

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Regional Director for West and Central Africa at UNFPA, Dr Sennen Hounton, said the concentration of medical professionals in major cities was weakening efforts to improve maternal healthcare in deprived communities.

Speaking in Accra on Monday, September 14, at the national launch of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response, Dr Hounton said many health workers were reluctant to accept postings outside the capital.

He noted that without additional motivation, professionals posted to remote areas would continue to seek opportunities to return to major cities such as Accra.

“It’s just so easier to stay in Accra than staying in Tamale,” he said, stressing the need to make postings to underserved areas more attractive.

Dr Hounton proposed the introduction of incentive packages for health workers who agree to serve in remote communities for extended periods.

He said such benefits could include additional allowances on top of regular salaries as well as opportunities for further education and professional development after completing their assignments.

“There must be incentive package for people we send to the remote area to stay there two, three, four years, five years. There must be something in return,” he stated.

According to him, existing civil service arrangements often do not provide sufficient motivation for health professionals to remain in deprived communities, resulting in workers looking for ways to return to urban centres.

He therefore urged governments across West and Central Africa to introduce formal bonding mechanisms that link service in difficult locations to tangible career and financial benefits.

“We are saying that we must, in all countries, have such bonding mechanism. I go there, but you give me, first, the salary you give me a top up as incentive. And secondly, maybe if I finish my tour of duty, I got a scholarship to do some certificate,” he said.

Dr Hounton said such measures would help countries retain skilled personnel in areas where their services are most needed and ultimately contribute to saving the lives of mothers and newborns.

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According to him, although the new facility is intended to provide quality and accessible healthcare to residents of Dambai and surrounding communities, it requires additional equipment to operate effectively and deliver comprehensive medical services.

Dr Sonlaar Joseph made the appeal in an interview with Adom News Correspondent, Odehyeba Owusu Job, following the commissioning of the new hospital.

He explained that the facility was established through a collective vision and commitment by staff of the Kpandai ECG Hospital, coupled with support from internally generated funds.

Dr Sonlaar Joseph disclosed that some staff members had to guarantee their payslips to secure loans to support the project, while funds generated internally by the Kpandai hospital were also channelled into the construction and establishment of the facility.

He said the various efforts, together with other forms of support, had resulted in an investment of more than GH¢6 million in the new hospital.

The facility has a total capacity of 70 beds and is expected to expand access to healthcare for residents of Dambai and communities within the surrounding areas.

Dr Sonlaar Joseph, therefore, called on organisations, philanthropists and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital with essential medical equipment.

He said such support would enable the facility to provide a wider range of healthcare services and respond effectively to the medical needs of the growing population in the area.

Traditional authority pledges support

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the commissioning ceremony and Paramount Chief of the Chunkey Traditional Area, Dasebre Nana Kwame Bonja, has commended the leadership of the Evangelical Church of Ghana for establishing the hospital in Dambai.

He said the facility would play an important role in improving access to quality healthcare for residents of Dambai and neighbouring communities.

Dasebre Nana Kwame Bonja assured the hospital’s management of the traditional authority’s support, noting that the doors of traditional leaders would remain open whenever their assistance was needed.

He, however, urged the management and staff of the facility to keep politics out of the hospital and ensure that all patients received equal and quality care regardless of their political affiliation.

The Paramount Chief also cautioned health workers against using mobile phones while attending to patients.

He stressed the importance of professionalism, courtesy and respect in the delivery of healthcare, urging staff to make patients feel valued and properly attended to.

The newly established 70-bed Evangelical Church of Ghana Hospital at Dambai is expected to complement existing healthcare facilities and improve access to quality medical care in the Oti Regional capital and surrounding communities.

It represents something far more precious: the chance to live.

A chance to return home to their parents. A chance to play with their friends, walk into a classroom, learn a vocation, pursue a dream and grow into the men and women they were born to become.

That is the human story behind the numbers for Dr Kow Entsua-Mensah, Head of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, as he reflects on the first year of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

More than 150 patients who otherwise faced enormous financial barriers to lifesaving cardiac treatment are being taken care of at the National Cardiothoracic Centre alone. About 110 of them are children.

For Dr. Entsua-Mensah, those figures raise a sobering question: What would have happened to these patients if the Fund did not exist?

Behind every number, he said, is a human being whose future could easily have been cut short simply because a family could not afford the cost of lifesaving treatment.

110 children, 110 futures

It is the children whose stories appear to resonate most deeply with the cardiothoracic surgeon.

For families confronted with the diagnosis of a serious heart condition in a child, the battle is often fought on two fronts; against the disease itself and against the financial cost of treatment.

The intervention of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund is changing that reality for scores of families.

Dr. Entsua-Mensah looks beyond the operations and hospital beds to the futures now being reclaimed.

These children, he believes, “will grow stronger, play with their peers, return to school, pursue education and vocational training and eventually contribute to Ghana’s development”.

And then comes the question that perhaps captures the significance of the intervention better than statistics ever could:

Who knows what these children will become?

Among them could be Ghana’s future doctors, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and national leaders.

Without treatment, some of those possibilities could have disappeared before they ever had the opportunity to unfold.

From a devastating fire to more than 60 lives saved

The impact of the Trust Fund at the National Cardiothoracic Centre goes beyond paying for patients’ treatment.

In 2025, fire ravaged the Centre’s cardiac catheterisation laboratory;  a critical facility for diagnosing and treating complex heart conditions.

By the end of July 2026, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund had replaced the destroyed facility with a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation centre.

Since the new facility opened, more than 60 patients have undergone complex lifesaving procedures there, with many more patients lined up for treatment and emergency cases continuing to be managed.

During the Trust Fund’s initial 50-case pilot, designed to test its systems, 15 patients were sponsored to undergo lifesaving procedures at the National Cardiothoracic Centre.

Today, that intervention has expanded dramatically, with more than 150 patients onboarded for care at the Centre.

An investment in humanity

For Dr. Entsua-Mensah, the significance of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund cannot be measured only in cedis, equipment purchased or procedures performed.

It must also be measured in lives restored and hope returned to families.

“Adults whose illnesses had taken them away from their normal lives and livelihoods now have an opportunity to receive treatment and return to work. Children whose futures were threatened by serious heart conditions have an opportunity to grow and pursue their aspirations”, he added.

He describes the intervention as “a great investment in humanity”, an investment in the restoration of lives and, importantly, the restoration of hope.

Perhaps one of the Trust Fund’s most significant achievements, he observed, is the renewed confidence it is creating among ordinary families. The assurance that falling seriously ill does not necessarily mean a patient’s survival must depend solely on how much money that patient or family can raise.

Through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, he said, people can increasingly have confidence that the state has an instrument through which it can come to their aid when they face critical illness.

Taking lifesaving heart care closer to Ghanaians

The transformation Dr. Entsua-Mensah sees is not confined to Korle Bu.

He pointed to the development of cardiology centres at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi and Tamale Teaching Hospital as another important part of the emerging national cardiac-care network.

For decades, patients with complex cardiac conditions have had to travel considerable distances to Accra for specialised treatment at the National Cardiothoracic Centre.

The expansion of specialist cardiac infrastructure promises to change that.

Dr. Entsua-Mensah said the National Cardiothoracic Centre would be able to collaborate with its counterparts in Kumasi and Tamale, mentor and train professionals there and extend specialist services beyond Accra.

Ultimately, patients from those parts of the country would no longer necessarily have to travel to the capital for treatment.

Lifesaving cardiac care, he said, is being brought closer to the people.

And he believes Kumasi and Tamale could only be the beginning, with specialist services eventually extending to other parts of Ghana.

A dream beginning to unfold

One year into the existence of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Dr Entsua-Mensah believes something long imagined within Ghana’s specialist healthcare system is finally beginning to take shape.

“For the first time, what we have dreamt of, what we had hoped for is beginning to unfold right before our eyes.”

But perhaps the most compelling evidence of that unfolding dream will not be found in buildings, machines or statistics.

It will be found in a child returning to school after heart surgery.

In parents who once feared they might lose their child but can now watch that child run and play again.

In an adult returning to work after illness threatened a family’s livelihood.

And in the more than 110 children currently being given something no amount of money can truly measure, another chance at life and the opportunity to become whatever their dreams allow them to be.

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• Ghana Medical Trust Fund marks first anniversary, expresses gratitude to Mahama, Akandoh and stakeholders

Angelina is receiving treatment at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital following the August 13, 2026 crash, which claimed 12 lives and injured several others.

The accident, involving multiple vehicles, was reportedly triggered after a tricycle rider was knocked down, leading to a chain collision.

Angelina survived the crash but suffered life-changing injuries and lost both legs.

Her family has also kept her father’s death from her as she continues to recover.

The tragedy came just six months after the death of her mother.

Before the crash, Angelina was focused on school, her favourite subjects and her dreams for the future.

Now, her biggest wish is to heal and return to school.

In an emotional appeal, Angelina called for help as she continues to endure pain at the hospital.

“I need you guys to help me. Right now my stomach is paining me… I am suffering in this hospital. You guys need to help us.”

Her brother, John Stickings, says the family has been overwhelmed by the cost of her treatment.

He says about GH¢200 million has been spent on Angelina’s medical care, while the family is now raising funds for prosthetic limbs to help her walk again.

John is also appealing to the government and other well-meaning individuals to support Angelina’s recovery.

“We are preparing to do the leg, because sometimes she complains that she wants to go to school again. We need the government to support us. Any support to make my sister walk again.”

Meanwhile, the National Road Safety Authority’s Senior Planning Manager at the Greater Accra Office, Felix Owusu, says police investigations into the crash are still ongoing.

According to him, the driver of the tipper truck believed to have caused the crash initially fled the scene but has since been arrested and is assisting with investigations.

Owusu also reminded motorists that although the law permits higher speed limits on highways and motorways, passenger-carrying vehicles are subject to a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour.

He appealed to non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and philanthropists to support Angelina and other survivors with financial and psychological assistance. He said such support would help survivors cope with their trauma and reintegrate into society.

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Dr John Nana Nkrumah, a Senior Specialist at the GPHA Clinic and International Maritime Hospital, said although research has looked at a possible link between ejaculation and prostate cancer, the findings do not provide enough grounds to recommend a specific frequency of sexual activity as protection against the disease.

He explained that such research had only examined different forms of ejaculation, including sexual intercourse, masturbation and wet dreams noting that the findings needed to be weighed alongside other risk factors and the studies’ methodology, instead of interpreting it as a prescription for a set number of ejaculations.

Dr Nkrumah who was speaking at a media discussion on prostate cancer awareness organised by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) said it would be inappropriate to tell men, particularly young people, that they needed to ejaculate a specified number of times each month to prevent prostate cancer.

He also mentioned that wet dreams are involuntary, making them impossible to regulate as a preventive measure.

He added that thought the research could be acknowledged, he could not recommend the practice as a prevention strategy for prostate cancer due to its limitations.

On the question of men whose professions or religious commitments involve celibacy, he maintained that the available findings do not support the idea that abstaining from regular sexual activity would necessarily lead to prostate cancer. He urged men to instead focus on established screening and risk factors and to seek medical advice early.

Turning to treatment, Dr Nkrumah said some prostate cancer therapies could affect sexual potency, particularly those that lower testosterone levels to control advanced or metastatic disease.

He explained that testosterone production could be reduced either medically or surgically, including through removal of the testicles, and that lowering the hormone could in turn reduce sexual drive and potency.

The urologist said concerns about the risk of impotence during treatment were valid, but stressed that the side effects of treating advanced prostate cancer make early detection important, since earlier-stage treatment offers a better chance of a cure and avoids progression to advanced disease.

Her comments come ahead of the launch of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER) on Monday, September 14.

Welcoming the initiative in a social media post, Akosua Manu, popularly known as Kozie, said the scale of the crisis requires more than announcements.

“This is an important step, and I welcome it. The scale and persistence of preventable maternal deaths require a response that is comprehensive, evidence-based and sustained,” she said.

Referencing a three-year study conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital between January 2021 and December 2023, and published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, she cited a maternal mortality ratio of 801 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded at the facility over the period.

“This is a gap that reflects the urgent need to strengthen our emergency obstetric care and maternal health systems,” she said.

Kozie also renewed her call for a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry into preventable maternal deaths, saying it could help identify systemic gaps and strengthen accountability.

“The response to this crisis must be national in scope and bipartisan in spirit,” she added.

She said the New Patriotic Party would support credible initiatives that advance the health, dignity and wellbeing of women and children.

“Our collective goal must be clear: no woman should die while giving life, and no child should lose a mother to a preventable cause.”

The initiative is expected to strengthen healthcare delivery at the community level and improve access to essential medical services.

Speaking at a community durbar at the Fian Health Centre in the Daffiama Bussie Issa District of the Upper West Region on Friday, September 11, Mr Akandoh said 5,000 healthcare bags equipped with essential medical supplies had already been distributed to health workers.

He said an additional 5,000 healthcare bags would be supplied in the coming weeks, together with 7,000 motorbikes and tricycles to improve the ability of health professionals to reach residents in underserved communities.

According to the Minister, the logistics would enable health workers to take healthcare services directly to people in their homes, churches, mosques and other community settings.

He explained that the community-based approach would place greater emphasis on disease prevention and early detection, rather than waiting for patients to report to hospitals after becoming seriously ill.

Mr Akandoh said health workers would conduct screening for conditions such as hypertension and high blood sugar, while persons requiring further medical attention would be referred to the appropriate health facilities.

He said the strategy was part of efforts to transform Ghana’s healthcare system from one that is largely hospital-centred to a model that begins at the community level.

The Minister also reiterated that the Free Primary Healthcare programme would provide free services at CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics.

The services will cover the management of common ailments, including malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections, as the government seeks to make basic healthcare more accessible to residents.

The donation is intended as an upgrade of the cardiopulmonary bypass system needed to undertake open-heart surgeries, thereby enhancing patient care at the NCTC.

Speaking on the motivation behind the gesture, the Chief Executive of Quantum LC, Dr. Joseph Titus Glover, highlighted their ongoing commitment to supporting vital medical services at the Centre.

“Whenever our good friend needs something, we try and support. We just donated a heater-cooler equipment used to support heart surgeries, and we are happy we show this kind of gesture to the National Cardiothoracic Centre.”

Accepting the donation, Director of the Cardio Centre, Dr. Kow Entsua-Mensah, expressed profound appreciation for the timely intervention, highlighting the long-standing ties with Quantum LC/WBHO Ltd.

“For my part, I want to say a sincere thank you to Quantum LC /WHBO. Ltd. This gesture is an extension of the friendship forged during our days at Achimota School, which has blossomed today to the benefit of the many patients who need heart surgery.”

The newly acquired state-of-the-art apparatus replaces an older generation equipment being used at the Centre, significantly upgrading operational efficiency during critical cardiovascular procedures.

Reinforcing his commitment to the partnership, Dr. Entsua-Mensah stated that the collaboration between the sister institutions will deepen as they explore new areas of collaboration.

This donation comes on the backdrop of a recent medical outreach by staff of the Cardio Centre to the mining operations of Quantum LC/WBHO. Cardiac-related services were offered to workers as well as residents in the catchment area of their mining operations.

“In the coming years, we as partners want to re-double our collaborative efforts to the greater benefit of Ghanaian heart patients”, Dr. Entsua-Mensah concluded.

The former Vice President said the interaction brought together the national leadership of the Junior Doctors Association (JDA), the Federation of Ghana Medical Students Association (FGMSA), and presidents of medical students’ associations from various institutions across the country.

According to him, the discussions offered a platform for frank exchanges on the realities of medical training and career development. Issues raised included conditions of training, delays in postings, welfare concerns and pathways for professional growth.

Dr Bawumia stressed that the experiences and views of young doctors and medical students should guide policy formulation, given the central role they will play in the nation’s health system.

“These are the brilliant minds who will carry the weight of Ghana’s healthcare system tomorrow, and their voices must shape our policies today,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to the student and junior doctor leaders for what he described as a productive and insightful conversation.

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Physician Specialist and Cardiology Fellow at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Albert Agbi, says the popular salted fish varieties contain significant amounts of sodium, which can contribute to elevated blood pressure when consumed excessively.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Dr Agbi acknowledged the important role koobi and momoni play in adding flavour to Ghanaian dishes but urged consumers to exercise restraint.

“It’s nice, it gives flavour. But it’s very high in sodium. Because of the salt,” he said.

He explained that excessive sodium intake causes the body to retain fluid, which can raise blood pressure and put additional pressure on the heart and blood vessels.

According to him, prolonged high sodium consumption could increase the risk of cardiovascular complications, making moderation particularly important.

While stopping the consumption of koobi and momoni altogether may be difficult for many Ghanaians, Dr Agbi said cutting down on the quantity would be a more practical approach.

“I’m not going to touch that for Ghanaians because I know they will not forgive you. So I’m not recommending you to stop. But in moderation,” he said.

The cardiologist also encouraged Ghanaians to incorporate more potassium-rich foods into their diets, including fresh coconut water, bananas, and other fruits.

He noted that dietary approaches such as the DASH and Mediterranean diets place emphasis on potassium-rich foods and can help promote healthier eating patterns.

Dr Agbi further urged the public to pay attention not only to what they eat but also to portion sizes, while combining healthy eating with regular physical activity to reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.

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• ‘Koobi’ considered leading cause of hypertension – Expert cautions

He said the move follows Ghana’s decision to join the Africa Pool Procurement Mechanism, which is expected to create opportunities for local vaccine manufacturers to compete for supply contracts across the continent.

Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 10, Dr Sodzi-Tettey confirmed that Ghana’s plan is to manufacture and supply selected vaccines rather than simply import them.

“That is the plan,” he said when asked whether a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Ghana would eventually lead to the country manufacturing and supplying certain vaccines.

He said a regional meeting would be held in Accra in November to begin the process of identifying and preparing Ghanaian companies that have the capacity to participate.

“So in November this year, having joined the Africa pool procurement mechanism, we are going to organise a regional meeting. We will have the leadership of the pool procurement mechanism in Accra,” he said.

According to Dr Sodzi-Tettey, the meeting will launch an application process through which Ghanaian companies will be assessed and pre-qualified.

“What they are going to do is roll out an application process that would enable us to pre-qualify Ghanaian companies,” he explained.

He said interested companies would have to demonstrate their manufacturing capacity, including the type and volume of vaccines they can produce.

“So the companies will have to demonstrate capacity. What are you able to manufacture and in what quantities?” he said.

Companies that successfully pass the pre-selection process will then be able to participate in tenders and potentially supply vaccines beyond Ghana.

“Once you are pre-selected, it means that when the tenders are issued, you can apply, and then you can have access to the continental market of over 1.4 billion people,” Dr Sodzi-Tettey said.

Dr Sodzi-Tettey was also asked why Ghana had settled on five vaccines for the initial phase of its manufacturing plans.

He explained that the selection was based on the importance of the vaccines to the country’s immunisation programme.

“So we settled on them because they are critical for our vaccine immunisation programme,” he said.

He also cited incentives available under the Gavi-supported Africa Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator initiative, which aims to encourage vaccine production in Africa, particularly in areas requiring more complex manufacturing capabilities.

“We settled on them also because within Gavi, there are some incentives. There’s a programme called Africa Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator Initiative where there are some incentives that are put there for more complex manufacturing,” he said.

He said those incentives could help manufacturers recover the significant investments required to produce more complex vaccines.

“Which means that when we are able to hit those areas, we would be able to recoup our investments into those areas,” he said.

Dr Sodzi-Tettey said Ghana would initially focus on a product that does not receive such subsidies before moving into more complex vaccine manufacturing.

“So we started with a product that has no subsidies, so to speak,” he said.

He added that the expectation was for governments to provide a market for the initial products, allowing local manufacturers to build their capacity before expanding into more complex production.

“But we think that the governments are able to purchase that and then we go into more complex manufacturing, which we can then supply to the rest of the market,” he said.

While the initial manufacturing programme will focus on vaccines that are already established, Dr Sodzi-Tettey said Ghana is also looking at research and development for diseases for which there are currently no established vaccines.

“So, the manufacturing is now focusing on established vaccines,” he said.

He explained that research would focus on developing new vaccine candidates to respond to emerging diseases and future health threats.

“And then there’s the work being done in research and development to develop new vaccine candidates, to manage things like mpox, Ebola, and so on and so on, which we do not have established vaccines for yet,” he said.

“That is where the research will be focused on developing new vaccines.”

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Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 10, during a discussion on hypertension, Mr Asiedu said a large number of people could be living with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases without knowing it because the conditions often show no obvious symptoms.

His comments came after concerns about estimates suggesting that about 70% of Ghanaians could be hypertensive without knowing it.

He said the concern should extend to cardiovascular diseases more broadly, including conditions linked to high cholesterol.

“I don’t want us to limit it to hypertension on its own,” Mr Asiedu said.

“Cardiovascular disease generally, because sometimes people even don’t know that high cholesterol in itself and the position of cholesterol in the bloodstream can decrease the blood flow to the penile area as well,” he explained.

According to him, many people in Ghana could have elevated cholesterol levels without being aware of it.

“A lot of people are walking around with elevated cholesterol levels in Ghana. They have no idea,” he said.

He said that cardiovascular disease is a broad category and includes hypertension and coronary heart disease, among others.

“So I go, and I say cardiovascular diseases; hypertension is one of them. Coronary heart disease can be another,” he said.

Mr Asiedu attributed the problem partly to the lack of widespread screening for chronic diseases.

“And why does that happen? Because we do not screen for these diseases widely,” he said.

He pointed to countries where routine screening is introduced at certain ages as an example of how Ghana could identify diseases earlier.

“In countries where deaths from cardiovascular diseases occur after 70 years. They start screening around the 40th birthday,” he said.

Using the United Kingdom as an example, he said people are routinely invited to undergo screening as they reach certain age groups.

“In the UK, for example, on your 40th birthday, you get a message through your letterbox which says go and screen. After 50, you get another message,” he said.

Mr Asiedu said that Ghana needs to develop a similar culture of proactive screening rather than relying mainly on patients to seek medical care after symptoms have appeared.

“We have never had a system in place that screens,” he said.

Mr Asiedu said Ghana’s healthcare system had historically depended heavily on people becoming unwell and then presenting themselves at health facilities.

“Our health system, until the free primary healthcare policy that is being rolled out, was antiquated. It depended on the patient going to the hospital. That has been reversed,” he said.

He said the focus should now shift towards identifying people who appear healthy but may already have an underlying condition.

“If you read now, it is the healthcare system looking for the well who are ill,” he said.

“That is how we would reverse this. Until we actively look for the well who are ill, 70% would continue to walk around and be undiagnosed because they don’t know.”

Mr Asiedu also linked the issue to the way some men respond when they develop erectile dysfunction.

He said some men may experience erectile problems as a consequence of an underlying health condition but fail to investigate the cause.

“And when they have symptoms like erectile dysfunction, they would go and take the aphrodisiacs,” he said.

Mr Asiedu said one of the biggest challenges in dealing with hypertension is that it can develop without producing noticeable symptoms.

“A lot of them. And people don’t know they are undiagnosed. Why? Because they are what we call asymptomatic,” he said.

Mr Asiedu said some products sold as herbal aphrodisiacs may contain pharmaceutical substances without consumers knowing what they are taking.

“The sad thing about the aphrodisiacs is the fact that a lot of them actually are not herbal.”

“They make concoctions. If you don’t know, you are taking that,” he added.

According to Mr Asiedu, this can be particularly dangerous for people who may already have an undiagnosed cardiovascular condition.

“That in itself can give you a cardiovascular attack because you don’t even know you are taking that medication,” he said.

Also read:

• National Cardiothoracic Centre warns men against stopping hypertension drugs over erectile dysfunction fears

• Ghanaians urged to avoid practices that cause hypertension

Speaking on Joy FM Super Morning Show, during a discussion on hypertension and its effects on men, he clarified that although erectile dysfunction can be a side effect of some blood pressure medicines, it is wrong to assume that every person taking hypertension medication will experience the problem.

Explaining the link between chronic disease and erectile dysfunction, Mr Asiedu said the condition can often be connected to problems with blood circulation.

“Let me explain what erectile dysfunction is. It normally is a result of poor circulation into the penile area. That’s a major thing,” he said.

He added that diabetes could also affect sexual function through nerve damage.

“Or other things with people with diabetes are a lack of sensitivity in the penile area because of nerve damage and other things. Those are the two major things,” he said.

Mr Asiedu acknowledged that some blood pressure medicines can contribute to erectile dysfunction, but said that this does not apply to all hypertension medication.

He explained that blood pressure is influenced by two main components: cardiac output, which refers to how much blood the heart pumps, and peripheral resistance, which refers to the resistance the blood encounters as it moves through the blood vessels.

“If you look at blood pressure in a human being, there are two components. There’s what we call the cardiac output. That is how the heart pumps the blood out,” he said.

“And the peripheral resistance, that’s how your veins and arteries block. You look at it like a water hose. They block the flow of blood through it.”

According to him, medicines used to control blood pressure work in different ways. Some reduce the pressure generated by the heart, while others reduce the resistance in the blood vessels.

“In the control of blood pressure, two things are done. You either try to decrease the pressure the heart is pumping, which is the cardiac output, or decrease the peripheral resistance, which is the pressure that the veins and muscles pose to the blood as it flows,” he explained.

He said some medicines that reduce peripheral resistance can contribute to erectile dysfunction by affecting blood flow, but cautioned against generalising this effect to all blood pressure drugs.

“A lot of the drugs that cause this erectile dysfunction are the ones that decrease the resistance,” he said.

“That is why it’s correct that it is not all blood pressure medication that would have that side effect.”

Mr Asiedu said a common belief that taking blood pressure medication will inevitably lead to sexual side effects could discourage people from seeking or continuing treatment.

“There is a myth out there that once you have high blood pressure and you take the medication, they would have side effects. That is untrue,” he said.

He said doctors need to assess each patient individually rather than assuming that erectile dysfunction is caused by medication.

“And that’s why I am very careful concentrating on the drug, but saying let’s look at the individual patients,” he said.

He posed the question of whether every patient with hypertension who takes medication develops erectile dysfunction and answered that the available evidence does not support such a conclusion.

“Are they all suffering erectile dysfunction as a result of the medication they are taking? The answer from the data and everything is no,” he said.

Mr Asiedu further explained that patients can respond differently to the same medication, making it important for healthcare professionals to individualise treatment.

“Even when it comes to the medication, as the cardiologist said, there’s something called individualisation of care,” he said.

He rejected the idea that blood pressure medication automatically causes erectile dysfunction in everyone who takes it.

“A medication that might cause erectile dysfunction in Kwame would not cause erectile dysfunction in Kofi,” he said.

He said too much attention was often placed on medication when the underlying disease itself could be responsible for sexual problems.

“I get very worried when we concentrate too much on the medication, because a lot of the time it is what we call the aetiology,” he said.

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• National Cardiothoracic Centre warns men against stopping hypertension drugs over erectile dysfunction fears

• Principal Medical Herbalist outlines key risk factors for erectile dysfunction

The Union says the shortages are putting excessive pressure on existing workers and affecting effective healthcare delivery.

The Health Services Workers’ Union says workers who have completed twelve months of service are entitled to an additional month’s salary under their collective agreement.

However, the union says the payment has remained outstanding since the agreement was reached with the employer.

The Union’s Principal Industrial Relations Officer, Jerry Detse Mensah-Pah, says the unpaid benefit is among several outstanding labour issues, including personnel placement and inadequate recruitment of non-clinical health workers.

“There is no way a doctor or a nurse can come to the facility and work alone.”

He says major hospitals, including Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Koforidua and Ridge hospitals, require additional personnel to meet their operational demands.

According to him, recruitment has largely focused on doctors and nurses, leaving other essential categories of workers behind. These include paramedics, disease control officers, administrative staff, security personnel, orderlies and labourers.

“Security officers, cleaners, orderlies and other support staff are all necessary for hospitals to function effectively.”

The Union says the shortage has left existing workers overburdened, with some working excessively long hours and reportedly experiencing health challenges.

It has also criticised the use of internally generated funds to engage casual workers, arguing that such funding cannot provide sustainable employment and conditions of service.

In the Ashanti Region, the Union’s Regional Chairperson, Esther Akuma, says the situation has reached a critical point.

“We are not looking at assurances again. Discussions and promises over recruitment have gone on for too long without sufficient action.”

She says some duties that should be performed by several workers are increasingly being handled by one person, contributing to absenteeism, long working hours and difficulties balancing work with family responsibilities.

The Union says the shortage extends beyond doctors, nurses and pharmacists to include nutritionists, clinical engineers, pharmacy technicians, field staff, X-ray technicians and other specialised personnel.

“If my colleague, an X-ray technician, is taking about GH¢3,000 from payroll and we who are engaged are taking GH¢1,000, I will look at it.”

The Health Services Workers’ Union is therefore calling on government and health-sector employers to address the recruitment gaps and re-engage affected workers on the public payroll.

The Union believes improved conditions of service and adequate staffing will boost worker morale and ultimately improve healthcare delivery.

He made the call when the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, paid a courtesy call on him at his palace as part of the Minister’s monitoring activities on the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) initiative in the Upper East Region.

According to the traditional ruler, the hospital requires significant improvements to its infrastructure and capacity to enable it to adequately serve residents within Navrongo and surrounding communities.

The call comes at a time when government is placing renewed emphasis on strengthening healthcare delivery and expanding access to quality services under the Free Primary Healthcare programme. The programme seeks to shift greater attention towards preventive care, early detection and treatment at the primary healthcare level.

The Navrongo War Memorial Hospital has for years served as an important healthcare facility for residents in the area and surrounding districts. It also serves as a referral facility for communities beyond the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.

The need for an upgrade has been raised previously, with calls for the hospital to be rehabilitated, expanded and equipped with modern facilities to improve its capacity as a referral centre.

More recently, plans have been announced for the facility to be upgraded into a teaching hospital, a move linked to efforts to establish medical training in the region and strengthen the local healthcare workforce.

During the engagement, Minister Akandoh briefed the Navro Pio on the objectives of the Free Primary Healthcare initiative and other government interventions aimed at improving access to healthcare in the region.

He outlined the importance of community participation in the programme as government works to bring essential healthcare services closer to residents.

The Navro Pio, for his part, urged residents within his traditional jurisdiction to take full advantage of the Free Primary Healthcare initiative and actively participate in programmes designed to improve their health and wellbeing.

He commended the Health Minister for efforts to strengthen Ghana’s health sector while stressing the need for the government to pay particular attention to the condition and capacity of the War Memorial Hospital.

The upgrade of the facility would also be significant to the broader healthcare ambitions for the region, particularly plans to strengthen medical training and develop a skilled healthcare workforce locally.

Government’s 2024 manifesto, for instance, included a commitment to upgrade the Navrongo War Memorial Hospital to facilitate the training of doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

The association said it was particularly concerned by information suggesting that nurses and midwives who participate in the voluntary exercise could be considered or given preference when government opens another recruitment exercise.

GUNMA argues that such an arrangement could make the service feel less voluntary, especially for qualified professionals who have remained unemployed for years and may fear that refusing to volunteer could affect their chances of securing employment later.

In a statement to its members, the association said unemployed nurses and midwives should not be placed in a position where they have to offer their professional services for free in the hope that doing so could improve their prospects of future employment.

The association stressed that its members have already spent years waiting for recruitment after completing their training and following the required processes.

“Now we deserve fair recruitment – not conditional voluntary service,” GUNMA said.

The association’s position comes after Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh announced that government was considering voluntary recruitment arrangements to provide additional support to health workers and facilities under the Free Primary Healthcare programme. The Ghana Health Service said at least 8,000 health workers had already been recruited, while the government was considering additional voluntary arrangements.

GUNMA also referred to President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement in July that government would recruit 16,000 nurses in two phases of 8,000 each to strengthen the healthcare workforce.

The association said members are therefore expecting the government to honour its recruitment commitments rather than rely on voluntary service as an alternative to formal employment.

It further noted that a significant number of qualified nurses and midwives remain unemployed despite the recruitment exercises undertaken so far. The Ministry of Health previously acknowledged a large backlog of unemployed health professionals, with more than 105,000 records reportedly captured during an earlier recruitment process.

GUNMA said its members are not opposed to supporting the Free Primary Healthcare programme or serving communities. Its concern, it stressed, is the possibility of voluntary service becoming a condition, either directly or indirectly, for future employment.

The association is therefore calling for clear assurances on recruitment before members take part in the voluntary exercise.

Its position is that recruitment should be based on transparent, fair and equitable processes rather than participation in an unpaid service programme.

GUNMA has consequently urged all its members to remain united, calm and resolute while it seeks clarification from the relevant authorities.

Head of Cardiology at the Centre, Prof Alfred Doku, said concerns about erectile dysfunction were prompting some patients to avoid or stop taking their prescribed hypertension medication, potentially exposing themselves to serious and life-threatening complications.

According to him, patients must not stop their medication without first consulting their doctors, stressing that uncontrolled hypertension can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, sudden death and permanent disability.

“Some of the patients are afraid of taking the medication, especially hypertension medication, because of erectile dysfunction. They cannot perform in the bedroom,” Prof Doku said.

He, however, dismissed the perception that all hypertension medications cause erectile dysfunction, describing it as a misconception.

“And also the myth that every hypertension medication causes erectile dysfunction is not true,” he said.

Prof Doku explained that sexual difficulties experienced by some patients may be linked to underlying health conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, rather than the medication they are taking.

“So, if you’re having an issue with erectile dysfunction, it could even be the diabetes or the hypertension that is causing it, not necessarily the drug,” he said.

He urged patients who experience erectile dysfunction or other side effects while taking hypertension medication to discuss the problem with their doctors instead of stopping treatment on their own.

“So, if you have any concerns, discuss with your doctor,” he advised.

Prof Doku said doctors have a range of treatment options available and can adjust or change a patient’s medication when necessary to manage side effects without compromising treatment.

“We have different medications; we can change them, adjust them so that you can perform in the bedroom,” he said.

“But don’t stop your medication because if you stop, you will die from stroke, heart disease, or you can develop a permanent disability from a stroke,” Prof Doku warned.

Hypertension driving heart disease and stroke deaths

The warning comes amid growing concern over the impact of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases on Ghanaians, including younger people.

Prof Doku said heart disease and stroke have become major causes of death in Ghana, with an increasing number of cases occurring among people below the age of 50.

“Close to 50% of people who die in Ghana die from stroke or heart disease. That is the main thing that is driving mortality in Ghana,” he said.

He noted that the burden was no longer limited to older adults, with younger people increasingly affected.

“It occurs in younger people, those younger than 50 years. So the workforce is dying from heart disease and stroke,” he said.

According to Prof Doku, Ghana’s disease burden has changed significantly over the years.

“In the past it was mainly malaria, TB, HIV, malnutrition, but we’ve taken care of these diseases,” he said.

He identified hypertension as a major underlying factor contributing to the country’s growing burden of cardiovascular diseases.

“The current problem is heart disease and stroke driven mainly by hypertension,” he said.

The engagement, held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, formed part of the Ministry’s Community Dialogue Series for selected communities within the Ablekuma South Municipality.

Speaking at the event, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said social protection must go beyond central government interventions and become an integral part of local development.

She said the initiative also provides an opportunity to improve access to the government’s social protection programmes for vulnerable individuals and households.

The Minister noted that the Ministry’s collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority had facilitated the registration and renewal of eligible vulnerable and disabled persons under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

She urged eligible residents to take advantage of the free NHIS registration and renewal services available under the ongoing national inter-agency consultation, MAP-UL.

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Okoe Vanderpuije, commended the Ministry for taking the dialogue directly to communities.

He said engaging residents at the grassroots level enables government to better understand their challenges and develop practical solutions.

The dialogue also addressed issues including domestic violence, child marriage, teenage pregnancy, human trafficking, child protection, NHIS and the LEAP reassessment exercise.

Residents of Chorkor and Mamprobi used the platform to ask questions, raise concerns and provide feedback on the delivery of social protection interventions in their communities.

In a public notice issued on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the FDA said the product being circulated has not been registered by the Authority and poses a serious public health risk.

According to the FDA, regulatory intelligence and subsequent enforcement operations have uncovered an organised syndicate operating in Accra and Suhum, allegedly involved in the manufacture and distribution of the falsified capsules across the country.

The Authority said two suspects linked to the illicit operation are currently on police enquiry bail and are assisting with ongoing investigations.

The FDA further disclosed that the falsified capsules are manufactured in unauthorised, unregulated and unhygienic environments, raising concerns about their safety and quality.

“Laboratory analysis conducted by the FDA’s Centre for Laboratory Services and Research (CLSR) found that the falsified Dr Alfred Capsules had been adulterated with Sildenafil citrate. Sildenafil citrate is a Phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, a drug substance used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men and pulmonary arterial hypertension,” FDA explained.

The FDA stressed that sildenafil is a prescription-only medicine and is not declared as an ingredient in the falsified dietary supplement.

The Authority said the genuine Dr Alfred Capsules registered in Ghana do not contain sildenafil citrate.

The registered product is manufactured by CV Al Manar Herbafit, based in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and is registered as a food supplement by Unateus Ghana Limited.

FDA identifies differences between genuine and falsified products.

The FDA has outlined several features that can help consumers and retailers distinguish the registered product from the falsified versions.

The genuine product comes in a pack of 30 capsules only, with high-quality container material, distinctive text alignment and premium exterior finishing.

The falsified versions, however, have been identified in 30- or 60-capsule packs, with low-quality container materials, inferior print resolution, and blurred or altered typography.

The Authority also noted that the genuine product has clear and traceable batch numbers that match on both the label and the base of the container.

The falsified products, on the other hand, do not have matching batch numbers on the label and container base and may carry fictitious FDA registration numbers.

FDA issues warning to public, retailers

The FDA has advised members of the public to desist from purchasing medicines, herbal remedies and dietary supplements from unverified online networks and social media handles.

It has also directed pharmacies, herbal shops and distributors to immediately inspect their stocks and report any suspected falsified products to the Authority.

Anyone who has the falsified Dr Alfred Capsules in their possession has been advised to return them immediately to the nearest FDA regional office.

The FDA said it is continuing with market surveillance and digital monitoring operations aimed at ensuring that all remaining falsified variants of the product are removed from circulation.

The Authority is also urging anyone with information about the falsified Dr Alfred Capsules or any other suspected falsified products to report the information through its official channels.

The FDA reiterated its warning that consumers should verify the registration status and source of health products before purchasing or using them, particularly products promoted through social media platforms.

The commendation came as the Trust Fund handed over medical equipment and consumables worth more than GH¢4 million to KATH to strengthen specialised healthcare delivery at the hospital.

The donation includes a fully equipped Olympus endoscopy tower for gastroscopy and colonoscopy, two jaundice meters, and assorted respiratory, oxygen therapy and anaesthesia consumables. The items formed part of a larger consignment donated to the Trust Fund by Lifecare Technology Ghana.

Presenting the equipment, Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, said the gesture forms part of activities marking the Trust Fund’s first anniversary and reflects its commitment to equipping health facilities with the tools needed to save lives.

“We have done a lot for Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and we are ready to do more,” she said.

She explained that the equipment was allocated to KATH because of the hospital’s urgent need for the endoscopy system and other essential consumables. She also praised the hospital’s Board, Chief Executive Officer, management and staff for their strong support for the Trust Fund since it began operations.

For KATH, the donation could not have come at a better time.

The hospital’s CEO Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, disclosed that its existing endoscopy machine is more than 10 years old and that management was already considering spending about GH¢800,000 on a replacement.

With the Trust Fund stepping in, the hospital can now redirect resources earmarked for the equipment into other critical services.

“This has really reduced my blood pressure because the monies we were going to spend on these essential items can now be channeled into other services to make sure we deliver premium services to Ghanaians we serve,” the KATH CEO said.

A 70-Year Wait Nears an End
Beyond the latest donation, KATH singled out the cardiac intervention centre currently under construction as one of the most significant interventions the hospital has received through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

According to Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, despite its 70-year history, it has never had such a facility, but the establishment of the Trust Fund has now put that long-awaited dream within reach.

The CEO summed up the Trust Fund’s first-year impact in striking terms:
“The interventions the Trust Fund is providing make us feel you have been in existence for 70 years because your impact within just a year feels like you have been here forever.”
The latest donation adds to a series of interventions undertaken by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund at KATH over the past year, including support for specialised medical equipment and the cardiac intervention centre currently under construction.

For KATH, these interventions are addressing some longstanding gaps in specialised healthcare delivery and providing additional capacity to serve patients who depend on the hospital for critical care.

The latest payment, made on August 25 and 27, 2026, brings the total claims paid by the Authority since the beginning of the year to GH¢1.64 billion.

The GH¢281,658,680.79 disbursement went to public, private and mission health facilities across the country, as the NHIA continues efforts to ensure providers are reimbursed for services delivered to NHIS members.

Public health facilities received the largest share, with GH¢122,734,138.46, representing 43.58 per cent of the total amount.

Private health facilities received GH¢104,504,883.03, accounting for 37.1 per cent, while mission facilities received GH¢54,419,659.30, representing 19.32 per cent of the latest payment.

NHIA Chief Executive, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, said the Authority remains committed to paying recredentialed facilities promptly after their claims have been vetted.

He said timely reimbursement was necessary to help health facilities maintain the supplies and resources required to provide quality care to NHIS members.

“We know the facilities need the payment to procure consumables to enable them to provide quality care to our members, and it is for this reason we ensure that as soon as their claims have been vetted, we promptly pay them,” Dr Bampoe said.

The NHIA said timely claims reimbursement remains part of its broader efforts to strengthen healthcare financing and support uninterrupted service delivery under the NHIS.

The initiative provides free, structured education, support and guidance to expectant mothers and their families on prenatal care, nutrition, danger signs in pregnancy and safe childbirth practices.

At the Peace Speciality Hospital at Mamponteng, the facility is using the school to reshape attitudes of pregnant women and their partners while creating a welcoming and informative environment for maternal health education.

Held every first week of the month, the September edition of the school was held on the premises of the hospital, with the session bringing together pregnant women and nursing mothers within and beyond Kwabre East Municipality, who were taken through various maternal health topics aimed at protecting the lives and well-being of mothers and their babies.

A key focus of the session was pre-eclampsia, which was identified as one of the dangerous conditions affecting pregnant women.

Speaking to JoyNews, Dr. Edmund Obeng, an Obstetrician at the Peace Speciality Hospital, said pre-eclampsia is a serious pregnancy-related high blood pressure condition that is increasingly affecting mothers and newborns across Ghana.

He disclosed that the rate of occurrence is rising at an alarming rate, stressing the need for health facilities to intensify education for early symptom recognition and timely medical intervention.

Dr. Obeng cautioned that missing regular antenatal check-ups prevents early detection of rising blood pressure and urged pregnant women to adhere to frequent hospital visits.

A Senior Surgeon and Specialist, Dr. Francis Osei Kofi also encouraged mothers to participate in the monthly health education for safe delivery, noting that regular hospital visits help in early detection of anomalies in pregnancy for prompt medical solutions.

As part of the event, awards were presented to dedicated mothers who regularly attend antenatal care and the pregnancy school.

Husbands who consistently accompany their spouses to the facility were also commended and presented with gifts.

Some beneficiaries shared testimonies about the impact of the initiative.

Assa Assif, a mother of three, testified that the Pregnancy School has been of great help to her, explaining that the education has given her a better understanding of pregnancy and the need to report to the hospital in case of any anomaly. She encouraged other pregnant women to participate for their own safety and that of their babies.

Elizabeth Yeboah, also a beneficiary, said the school helps demystify labour and delivery, which lowers anxiety and helps reduce unnecessary medical interventions such as caesarean sections.

The Kwabre East Municipal Health Director, Mrs. Elsie Kissi-Appiah, during the launch of the Pregnancy School at the hospital in July, underscored its significance across health facilities in the municipality, disclosing that the initiative has helped reduce maternal mortality.

The rollout, which commenced on Monday, September 7, follows the successful pilot phase of the initiative aimed at removing financial barriers to essential primary healthcare and shifting the country’s health system towards prevention and early detection.

Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Akandoh said the government was confident of extending the programme to all 150 targeted districts before the end of the year.

The first phase prioritises underserved communities, with services being delivered through CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics.

The programme covers essential preventive, diagnostic and basic curative services, including screening and treatment for common conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, malaria and respiratory infections.

Mr Akandoh said the rollout had also been accompanied by a major investment in health infrastructure and logistics to equip frontline facilities to deliver the services effectively.

He noted that health workers had been trained while family healthcare facilities were being retooled, with more than 24,500 pieces of medical equipment distributed to communities as part of the exercise.

The government had earlier announced plans to distribute more than 24,000 pieces of essential medical equipment to the 150 districts selected for the first phase, alongside logistics to support community outreach and home visits.

The Free Primary Healthcare programme was officially launched in April 2026 as a flagship intervention to complement the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), rather than replace it.

While primary-level services are provided under the initiative, referrals to district, regional and teaching hospitals continue to fall under the NHIS framework.

The programme also seeks to move healthcare delivery beyond health facilities, with health workers undertaking community education, screening, outreach and home visits to promote early detection and prevention of diseases.

The government has set 2028 as the target for nationwide coverage of the Free Primary Healthcare programme.

Also read:

• Oti Regional Health Committee pushes for medical store in Worawora to support Free Primary…

• Mahama urges Ghanaians to embrace Free Primary Healthcare home visits

National President of the Association, Dr. Eric Kofi Aidoo, decried what he described as the systemic neglect of laboratory infrastructure in Ghana’s health sector development.

He said successive governments have failed to give adequate attention to laboratory systems, a situation evident in the way health facilities are designed and built without proper laboratory spaces.

“Governments have come and gone, but I think that not much has been done to improve our laboratory system. If you look at most of the facilities that have been built and the ongoing projects, especially the Agenda 111 structures, they have been built without laboratory offices in mind, so the lab becomes an afterthought.

“You will see that after the establishment of the hospital, they will now go and convert some stores and toilets to labs,” Dr. Aidoo lamented.

He explained that such makeshift conversions compromise quality, biosafety, and workflow and affect the accuracy of test results.

He therefore called on government, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that standard, well-designed laboratory infrastructure is incorporated from the architectural planning stage of all health projects, particularly as the country prepares for Free Primary Healthcare where laboratories will be the first point of diagnostic call.

The call was made at the Association’s Ashanti Regional Congress and Scientific Conference held under the theme “Diagnostics at the Heart of Healthcare: Strengthening Laboratory Systems for Ghana’s Free Primary Healthcare Agenda.”

The congress brought together medical laboratory scientists, academics, health policy experts and students from across the region. It served as a scientific platform for knowledge sharing and a democratic forum for electing new regional leadership to steer the affairs of the Association for the next term.

Dr. Aidoo underscored the importance of the annual Congress and Scientific Conference, describing it as a critical platform for continuous professional development, advocacy and shaping national health policy.

Delivering a keynote address, Prof. Samuel Asamoah Sakyi of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said Ghana’s quest for Universal Health Coverage through the proposed Free Primary Healthcare policy will remain incomplete without a robust, locally-driven diagnostic system.

He introduced what he termed “diagnostic sovereignty” -which he described as the ability of a nation to produce, maintain, and innovate its own diagnostic solutions without total dependence on external supply chains.

“COVID-19 taught the world a powerful lesson. Countries that depend entirely on external supply chains become vulnerable during crises. Borders were closed, supply chains were disrupted, and even the most advanced nations struggled to access basic diagnostic tools,” Prof. Sakyi noted.

He said Ghana must make a conscious and strategic shift towards strengthening local capacity in critical areas, including diagnostic reagent production, laboratory consumables, equipment servicing and calibration, software development for laboratory information systems, molecular diagnostics, quality-control materials production, biomedical engineering, and diagnostic research and innovation.

“We must begin to ask: Why should every diagnostic solution used in Ghana necessarily be developed somewhere else? Our scientists are capable. Our engineers are capable. Our entrepreneurs are capable.

“Our universities are capable. Our medical laboratory scientists are capable. What is required is a stronger ecosystem connecting research, innovation, industry, financing and healthcare delivery,” he added.

According to him, diagnostics accounts for over 70% of clinical decision-making, and therefore any primary healthcare agenda that does not put diagnostics at its centre is bound to fail.

Prof. Sakyi further challenged members of GAMLS to move beyond the bench and redefine their professional identity in the health system.

“We should not see ourselves merely as people who receive specimens and produce results. We are diagnostic scientists, clinical partners, public health professionals, researchers, educators, innovators, data scientists, and increasingly, health-system leaders,” he stated.

He insisted that medical laboratory scientists must demand a seat at the decision-making table:

“”Laboratory scientists must have a voice in health policy. They must be at the table when primary healthcare policies are developed, when diagnostic equipment is procured, when national screening programmes are designed, when antimicrobial resistance policies are formulated and when health information systems are created. If diagnostics is at the heart of healthcare, then diagnostic professionals must be at the heart of health policy.”

The climax of the congress was the conduct of the 2026 Regional Branch Executive elections, which saw a mix of unopposed endorsements and keenly contested positions.

At the end of polls, five executives were elected to lead the regional branch for the next administrative term.

Dr. Seth Anane was elected as Regional Chairman, with Dr. Michael Agyapong Adu-Gyamfi as his Vice.

Akwasi Opoku Boadi, who contested unopposed for Regional Secretary, received overwhelming endorsement from delegates, while Dickson Kuadey was elected as Regional Financial Secretary.

Joseph Egbulle Kyebal will also serve as Regional Organiser.

The new executives are expected to advance the Association’s advocacy agenda, strengthen professional standards and champion improved working conditions for laboratory scientists in the region.

In his concession and solidarity message, the immediate past Regional Chairman, Dr. George Ayerakwah, who did not secure another term after a contested race, commended delegates for a peaceful process and pledged his continuous support.

According to him, despite the outcome, he and the entire outgoing executive team remain committed to supporting the new leadership to ensure the progress, unity and visibility of the Association in the region and nationally.

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected Regional Chairman, Dr. Seth Anane, thanked members for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to run an open, inclusive and results-oriented administration.

He promised to prioritize advocacy for better laboratory infrastructure, member welfare, capacity building and stronger collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and other stakeholders to position medical laboratory science at the centre of the Free Primary Healthcare agenda.

Also read:

• Free Primary Healthcare Policy at risk over poor lab systems in Ghana – GAMLS…

• GAMLS calls for the establishment of a College of Medical Laboratory Science

Fourteen days in the Intensive Care Unit.

Fourteen days of fighting.

Fourteen days of being reminded, once again, that sickle cell disease is not simply a condition written somewhere in a medical file.

It can become a fight for your life.

And the irony is not lost on me that this is happening in September — Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

I have spent years speaking about sickle cell disease.

I have told people about the pain.

I have encouraged people to know their genotype.

I have spoken about prevention, treatment, stigma, blood donation and the importance of supporting people living with sickle cell disease.

I have called myself — with purpose and responsibility — The Global Voice for Sickle Cell.

But today, I am not writing merely as an advocate.

I am writing as a patient.

I am writing as a woman living with sickle cell disease.

I am writing as someone who has now spent fourteen days in ICU because of a sickle cell crisis.

And perhaps there is no more powerful awareness message I can offer this September than this:

Sickle cell is real.

Behind every statistic is a human being.

Behind every hospital admission is a family waiting for good news.

Behind every crisis is pain that many people will never fully understand.

And behind many of the people you see smiling, working, raising children, studying, building careers, and pursuing dreams while living with sickle cell disease is a battle they may never show you.

A Crisis Is Not “Just Pain”

One of the greatest misunderstandings about sickle cell disease is the tendency to reduce a crisis to pain.

Yes, the pain can be terrible.

But a sickle cell crisis can become much more than pain.

Sickle cell disease affects haemoglobin, the part of our red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. Under certain conditions, the normally flexible red blood cells can become rigid and take on the characteristic “sickle” shape.

These cells can obstruct blood flow.

And when blood and oxygen cannot move freely to tissues and organs, serious complications can follow.

That is why a person who appeared relatively well yesterday can suddenly require urgent medical attention.

That is why we must never tell someone experiencing a crisis to simply “endure it.”

That is why families, employers, teachers, colleagues and communities must understand that sickle cell disease is not an excuse people manufacture when they need time away from work, school or responsibilities.

Sometimes, the body is genuinely fighting a battle.

I know this because mine is fighting one now.

People With Sickle Cell Are Not Weak

There is another misconception I desperately want us to confront.

People living with sickle cell disease are sometimes treated as fragile, incapable or destined for failure; we are not.

We are teachers, doctors, nurses, midwives, entrepreneurs, students, parents, artists, engineers, public servants, professionals, community leaders, and advocates.

We build careers, we fall in love, we marry, we raise children, we serve our countries, and we dream.

Sickle cell disease may be part of our lives, but it must never be allowed to become the definition of our lives.

I have always believed in thriving beyond sickle cell.

But thriving does not mean pretending the disease does not exist.

It means receiving the right medical care, understanding our bodies, reducing avoidable risks, building supportive environments and refusing to allow stigma to determine how society values us.

Sometimes thriving means standing on a stage and inspiring people.

Sometimes thriving means getting out of bed and going to work.

And sometimes thriving means lying in ICU and finding enough strength to fight for another day.

All of these are victories.

Know Your Genotype Before Love Becomes a Crisis

There is one conversation Ghana cannot afford to postpone.

Genotype testing.

Many people know their blood group.

Far fewer understand their genotype.

They are not the same thing.

Knowing whether you are AA, AS, SS or another genotype variant can have enormous implications when two people are considering having biological children together.

This conversation should not begin after marriage.

It should not begin after pregnancy.

It should not begin after a child is diagnosed.

It should begin early.

And it must be handled with knowledge rather than fear or condemnation.

I am not asking young people to stop loving.

I am asking them to make informed decisions.

Love deserves truth.

Marriage deserves preparation.

And children deserve parents who understood the genetic possibilities before conception.

Genotype education should therefore not remain something discussed only in hospitals.

We need these conversations in our homes.

Schools, universities, churches, mosques, workplaces, youth groups, media houses, and communities.

Imagine if every young Ghanaian finished secondary school understanding the difference between blood group and genotype.

Imagine if premarital counselling routinely included proper genotype education.

Imagine if accessible testing became normal rather than something people considered only after sickness entered the family.

Awareness can prevent generations of avoidable suffering.

Please, Give Blood

There is another person whose contribution to my journey I may never know by name:

the blood donor.

Across hospitals in Ghana, people living with sickle cell disease and many other conditions may require blood transfusions during serious medical complications.

The blood available in a hospital does not appear by magic.

Someone donated it.

Someone woke up one morning, went to a blood donation centre and gave part of themselves to save a stranger.

A mother they may never meet.

A child whose name they may never know.

A sickle cell patient fighting for life.

A road accident victim.

A surgical patient.

When you donate blood, you may never receive applause.

You may never know who received it.

But somewhere, a family may have been given more time with someone they love because you decided to donate.

This September, please do not only post a sickle cell awareness graphic.

Consider donating blood.

Awareness must eventually become action.

The Pain You Cannot See

One of the hardest things about living with sickle cell disease is that much of the struggle can be invisible.

You may see someone smiling in a photograph without seeing what happened the night before.

You may meet someone at work without knowing that they were in pain that morning.

You may see someone looking healthy and assume they are exaggerating when they say they are unwell.

Please resist that temptation.

Chronic illness does not always announce itself visually.

Sometimes the strongest-looking person in the room is carrying the greatest physical battle.

This is why compassion matters.

An employer who understands.

A lecturer who listens.

A teacher who notices.

A colleague who does not ridicule.

A spouse who learns.

A friend who stays.

A health professional who treats the patient with dignity.

These things matter more than we sometimes realise.

To Parents: Do Not Raise a Child to Believe Their Life Is Over

To every parent who has just been told that their child has sickle cell disease, I want to say something important.

Please do not allow fear to become your child’s first identity.

Learn.

Ask questions.

Follow medical advice.

Understand your child’s triggers and health needs.

Seek proper care when necessary.

But also allow that child to dream.

Do not raise them believing they are incapable simply because they have sickle cell disease.

Teach responsibility, not fear.

Teach awareness, not hopelessness.

Teach them how to protect their health while still believing that their future is worth pursuing.

A diagnosis changes certain realities.

It should not cancel destiny.

And To My Fellow Warriors

To every person living with sickle cell disease reading this:

I see you.

The hospital visits nobody posts.

The medications.

The exhaustion.

The cancelled plans.

The pain.

The nights you wondered how much more your body could take.

The moments you wanted people to understand without having to explain everything again.

The fear that sometimes accompanies a new pain.

The strength required simply to keep going.

I understand.

At this very moment, I am walking through my own battle.

Fourteen days in ICU is not the September awareness campaign I imagined.

But perhaps this hospital bed has given me an even stronger microphone.

Because awareness is different when the person asking society to listen is also fighting the disease she is talking about.

Ghana, We Must Do Better

Sickle Cell Awareness Month should not become thirty days of posters followed by eleven months of silence.

We need sustained public education.

We need accessible genotype testing and genetic counselling.

We need stronger support systems for families.

We need adequate blood stocks.

We need workplaces and schools that understand the realities of the disease.

We need continued investment in quality sickle cell care, research and treatment.

We need health professionals equipped with the resources necessary to manage patients effectively.

We need to fight stigma.

And, critically, we need to include the voices of people actually living with sickle cell disease whenever policies, programmes and interventions concerning us are being designed.

There is a principle that should guide every conversation about sickle cell:

Nothing about us without us.

Patients are not merely beneficiaries of healthcare policy.

We are experts in the lived experience of the disease.

Our experiences belong at the table.

If My ICU Bed Could Speak

If my ICU bed could speak this September, I think it would say:

Know your genotype.

It would say:

Donate blood.

It would say:

Stop stigmatising people living with sickle cell disease.

It would say:

Never underestimate a sickle cell crisis.

It would remind employers that compassion can save careers.

It would remind schools that understanding can protect a child’s future.

It would remind policymakers that behind every policy document are real human beings.

It would remind couples that informed reproductive decisions matter.

It would remind families that patients need support, not pity.

And it would remind every person living with sickle cell disease:

Your diagnosis is part of your story. It does not have to become the end of your story.

This September, Let Awareness Mean Something

When September ends, people will change their profile pictures.

Campaign banners will come down.

The hashtags will become quieter.

But sickle cell disease will not disappear on October 1.

Patients will still wake up with it.

Families will still manage it.

Hospitals will still treat crises.

Blood will still be needed.

Research will still matter.

Prevention will still matter.

And advocacy must continue.

So this September, I am asking Ghana for something more than sympathy for me.

Do not simply say, “Get well soon, Bethlyn.”

Let my experience make you do something.

Learn about sickle cell disease.

Know your genotype.

Encourage someone else to know theirs.

Donate blood if you are eligible.

Support a family living with sickle cell disease.

Treat patients with dignity.

Speak against stigma.

Demand stronger systems of care.

Because somewhere tonight, another sickle cell patient may be entering a hospital.

Somewhere, another mother may be sitting beside a hospital bed.

Somewhere, another family may be praying.

Today, that family is mine.

Today, that patient is me.

I have spent fourteen days in ICU.

I am still here.

I am still fighting.

And as long as I have a voice, I will continue using it — not only for myself, but for every person living this journey who deserves to be seen, understood, supported and given the opportunity to thrive.

Sickle cell is real.

The pain is real.

The risks are real.

But so too are our courage, our dreams, our contributions and our determination to live.

This September, and every month after it, may Ghana choose knowledge over ignorance, compassion over stigma, prevention over regret and action over awareness alone.

I am Bethlyn Arthur.

I live with sickle cell disease.

I am fighting today.

And I still believe we can Thrive Beyond Sickle Cell.

Bethlyn Nana Adjoa Arthur
The Global Voice for Sickle Cell
Thrive Beyond Sickle Cell

Sickle Cell Advocate | Public Health Professional | “Thrive Beyond Sickle Cell”

That gap, according to the Traditional Medicine Practice Council’s Registrar, Dr Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, is making proper oversight of the sector difficult.

“We found out that the numbers are mind-boggling. Over 100,000,” he said at a media launch in Accra last Thursday, marking the 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day.

The council has spent the past six months pushing to close that gap, engaging practitioner associations at the district level and opening new regional and district offices to bring registration closer to practitioners. It has also inspected over 500 practice premises nationwide, shutting down some that posed risks to public health.

Check for the licence, Dr Yusuf tells the public

Dr Yusuf’s message to Ghanaians was direct: don’t accept treatment from anyone who can’t show you a licence. Every licensed premises is required to display one, complete with a QR code the public can scan to confirm it’s genuine. “Before you are treated, ask to see the licence. It must be displayed on the wall,” he said.

He also flagged a growing problem on social media, where the council has tracked more than 500 practitioners marketing unregistered medicines. “Tell the public to stay away from some of these people unless they are licensed practitioners and have been licensed to do so,” he warned.

Not everything a practitioner makes needs to go through the Food and Drugs Authority, Dr Yusuf explained. Fresh, unlabelled preparations made for a specific patient are fine under a practitioner’s own licence. But once a product is packaged, labelled or branded for wider sale, it has to be certified and registered with the FDA.

Jail time for unlicensed practice

Practising without a licence carries real consequences: a fine of up to 500 penalty units, or GH¢6,000, up to two years in prison, or both. Dr Yusuf said the law isn’t just on paper, pointing to a case in the Volta Region where a practitioner had already been arrested and was expected to appear in court.

Licences also aren’t a one-time thing. Practitioners have to renew annually, which means keeping up with continuing professional development, paying the required fees, and letting their premises be re-inspected.

Raising the bar on training

Beyond enforcement, the council is trying to professionalise how practitioners are trained. Its Governing Board is currently reviewing a six-month, competency-based curriculum for herbalists, bone setters, birth attendants and spiritual healers, one that would be taught in local languages and account for how much experience a practitioner already has.

Dr Yusuf also pushed for more research funding, arguing that traditional knowledge needs to be scientifically tested for safety and effectiveness rather than taken on faith. He pointed to work already underway at KNUST and Central University, where researchers, backed by the German development agency GIZ and PharmaVax, are studying standardised herbal treatments for hypertension and pain relief.

The stakes, he said, are high: roughly 70 per cent of Ghanaians rely on herbal and traditional medicine as part of their primary healthcare, which is exactly why getting the regulation right matters.

The Indian team, made up of medical doctors, is expected to support not only the supply of the system but also the training of Korle Bu staff to operate and use the technology.

The discussions follow an announcement by the Chief Executive of Korle Bu, Dr Yakubu Seidu Adam, that management intends to introduce robotic surgery at the hospital.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Month on September 2, Dr Adam said robotic surgery represents an important part of the future of surgical care and that Korle Bu must keep pace with advances in modern medicine.

He noted that some Ghanaians currently travel outside the country to access robotic surgery because the service is not available locally.

The proposed acquisition is therefore expected to expand the range of advanced surgical services available at Korle Bu and reduce the need for some patients to seek such treatment abroad.

As part of the engagement with the Indian team, discussions also covered ways to support and strengthen Korle Bu’s renal and liver transplantation programmes.

The two sides further explored the possible supply of breastmilk fortifiers and enhanced nutritional milk supplements for premature babies.

Dr Adam has urged staff of the hospital to embrace the proposed introduction of robotic surgery and support efforts to position Korle Bu at the forefront of advanced surgical care in Ghana.

The discussions mark an initial step towards introducing robotic-assisted surgery at Ghana’s premier teaching hospital, subject to the completion of the necessary arrangements.

“When you eat whole fruit like an apple or a pear, you’re getting fiber, water and antioxidants working together. 

That’s very different from eating something with the same amount of sugar but none of the nutritional structure or benefits,” shares Jamie Lee McIntyre, M.S., RDN. 

That structural complexity is exactly what makes whole fruit worth understanding on its own terms, and why the apples-versus-pears debate is more interesting than it first appears.

So where do apples and pears fit in? Both are crisp, portable and easy to love. They both can absolutely be part of an eating pattern that supports stable blood sugar. 

And while the differences between them are smaller than the internet might suggest, a few details are worth knowing if you want to make the most of each bite. Let’s break it down.

How apples impact blood sugar

Apples can be a smart choice for blood sugar, and a lot of that comes down to fiber. 

They’re rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that slows digestion and moderates how quickly glucose gets absorbed into your bloodstream. 

That slower release helps explain why apples tend to sit low on the glycemic index, meaning they raise blood sugar more gradually than many quick-digesting snacks.

Fiber isn’t the whole story, though. Apples also contain polyphenols, plant compounds that may play a supporting role in how your body handles glucose. 

In fact, much of the blood-sugar benefit tied to apples is attributed to their combination of fiber and these phenolic compounds. 

And there’s a helpful detail about apple sugar itself: Fructose is the main sugar in apples, and it’s absorbed more slowly than glucose, which adds to that gentler, more gradual response.

When you eat apples matters too. Research suggests that eating an apple before a carb-heavy meal may help blunt the spike in blood sugar that follows. 

One study found that an apple “preload” lowered the post-meal glucose peak compared with drinking water before the same rice meal, which is a simple, practical way to soften the rise from starchier foods.

What pears do to blood sugar

Pears follow a similar script, with a few of their own strengths. A medium pear delivers around 27 grams of carbohydrate and about 6 grams of fiber, which is a bit more than an apples offers.

Much of that fiber is concentrated in and just beneath the skin, so peeling a pear means leaving some of its benefits behind.

Like apples, pears carry a fair amount of soluble fiber and plenty of water, both of which help temper how sugars are absorbed. 

Their glycemic index also sits in the low range, making them a steady-energy choice for most people. 

“Pears are one of the more fiber-dense fruits you can grab, and that fiber is doing quiet work behind the scenes to support your glucose response,” shares Whitney Stuart, M.S., RDN, CDE. 

What’s happening “behind the scenes” is partly about fermentation. Some of the fiber in pears feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which produce short-chain fatty acids.

Research suggests these compounds may play a role in how your body regulates blood sugar over time, though scientists are still mapping out the details, and more robust data based on humans is needed to confirm this.

Nonetheless, it is a reminder that a fruit can have an effect as your body digests, not just the moment you eat it.

Why it’s essentially a tie

So which one wins? For blood sugar, apples and pears are close enough that neither deserves to knock the other out. 

Both are low on the glycemic index, are sources of soluble fiber and come with water and antioxidants that help support healthy blood sugar levels. 

The gaps between them are small and unlikely to make a meaningful difference for most people, but there are a few worth noting. 

How to Eat Fruit for Better Blood Sugar

How you eat fruit often matters more than which fruit you choose. A few simple habits can help you get steadier energy from any piece of produce:

1. Focus on fiber-rich fruits. Fiber slows digestion and softens the rise in blood sugar after you eat. 

Choosing whole, unpeeled fruits like apples and pears, and leaving the skin on when it’s edible, helps you hold on to that benefit instead of losing it to peeling or juicing.

2. Add a protein. Pairing fruit with a protein source can blunt the glucose response and keep you feeling satisfied longer. 

Think a pear with a spoonful of cottage cheese, or apple slices alongside a hard-boiled egg. The protein slows how fast the meal leaves your stomach.

3. Include a fat. A little healthy fat works similarly, slowing digestion and smoothing out your energy. 

Try apple slices with a tablespoon of nut butter, or a few walnuts next to your pear. It also makes the snack more filling and enjoyable.

Key Points

Apples contain natural sugar, but their fiber and polyphenols have blood sugar benefits.

Pears have a touch more fiber than apples, as long as you eat the skin.

Include both for two healthy, fiber-rich fruit options that can support blood sugar

Speaking on the AM Show, physician specialist Dr. Rex Kwame Bonsu and nurse Ozwella Yeboah of Vitality Health 360 explained that obesity involves the excessive accumulation of dysfunctional fat tissue, which can affect the body’s biological, physical and metabolic functions.

Dr. Bonsu said obesity is linked to several non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and obstructive sleep apnoea, as well as certain cancers such as breast, endometrial and colorectal cancers.

He explained that obesity cannot be accurately determined simply by looking at a person, noting that health professionals assess factors such as weight and height and may calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI).

However, he cautioned that BMI is only a screening tool because it does not account for factors such as age, sex, muscle mass, fat mass and bone density. Ms Yeboah explained that weight loss requires a calorie deficit, where the body uses more energy than it receives from food, while regular physical activity can also support the process.

Dr. Bonsu noted that weight loss can be difficult for some people because of hormonal and metabolic factors. He cited thyroid problems and hormonal changes that affect appetite as some factors that may make weight loss more difficult.

He also cautioned against the unsupervised use of weight-loss injections, stressing that such treatments should only be administered under the guidance of qualified health professionals.

“Now, you must have heard about weight loss injections and so on and so forth. That should be done under the guidance of a specialist,” Dr. Bonsu said.

At Vitality Health 360, the experts said clients seeking to lose or gain weight first undergo medical assessments to determine their individual needs.

Ms Yeboah explained that the facility has physician specialists and dieticians who assess clients and provide personalised meal plans, with adjustments made depending on their progress and medical needs.

Dr.Bonsu added that assessments may include full blood count, liver and kidney function tests, cholesterol levels and body-composition analysis. Where necessary, clients may also be referred for a DEXA scan to assess bone density, muscle mass and fat mass.

The experts said some patients may also require medication to help regulate appetite, cravings and certain metabolic conditions, but stressed that such treatment should be determined and supervised by a specialist.

Dr. Bonsu and Ms Yeboah encouraged people struggling with obesity or those seeking professional support to lose or gain weight to visit the facility. Vitality Health 360 is located on Oxford Street at Osu, around Photo Club in Accra.

The experts stressed that weight management is not a one-size-fits-all process and encouraged people to seek professional assessment and guidance rather than relying on unverified diets, treatments or injections.

From fancy beds and eye masks to blue-light blockers and sleep routines, there are plenty of tricks and technologies that may help us get longer, more restful nights of sleep.

However, maybe some of the most effective sleep aids might be sitting in your refrigerator or pantry right now! That’s because there are several nutrients that can promote better sleep. 

These include magnesium, vitamin B12, antioxidants, amino acids, and iron, plus hormones like melatonin. 

There’s no shortage of foods that contain these sleep-boosters—and many of them make for delicious late-night snacks or even dinner additions.

We spoke with two registered dietitians to learn about some of the best foods to eat for a better night’s sleep.

These are eight of the best foods for sleep

Whether you enjoy them as part of your evening meal, dessert, or late-night snack, all of these foods can support more restful shuteye and just so happen to be super tasty.

1. Tomatoes

As an excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants, tomatoes support several elements of overall health especially immune, heart, and eye health. Plus, the nutrition found in these summertime favorites can also support sleep!

“Tomatoes are a plant source of melatonin and cooked and canned tomatoes are rich sources of lycopene and other carotenoids, which are all linked to getting the optimal seven to eight hours of sleep1,” says Kelly Burgess, MBA, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and founder of To Better Health. Fresh, canned, or cooked tomatoes can be enjoyed as part of dinner, whether in a salad, pasta, soup, sandwich, pizza, or otherwise.

However, loaded toast with tomato and everything bagel seasoning, or even chips and salsa, can make for tasty after-dinner snacks that may promote sleep, too!

2. Tart Cherries

If you’ve heard of the viral “sleepy girl mocktail,” then you know that tart cherry juice is a key ingredient—and for good reason! “Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, tryptophan, magnesium, and antioxidants2. A small glass of unsweetened tart cherry juice before bed may help support a good night’s sleep. Or, try adding a little tart cherry concentrate to warm water for a relaxing bedtime drink,” explains Gabrielle Kishner, MS, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and founder of Nutrition By Gabrielle. Eating tart cherries whole (if you can find them) or even adding defrosted frozen tart cherries to yogurt are also yummy late-night snacks.

3. Nuts and Seeds

As a classic evening snack, nuts and seeds are already in the hands of many late-night snackers—and could very well be supporting better sleep. “Nuts and seeds pack several sleep-supporting nutrients into a small package. They are plant sources of tryptophan and provide the B vitamins B6 and folate, along with magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Chia, flax and hemp seeds, and walnuts also contain sleep-supportive antioxidants3,” Burgess says. If not eaten by the handful, these are delicious in homemade trail mix, spread onto toast as nut or seed butter, or even added to cereal if that’s what you reach for before bed!

4. Sliced Turkey

When it comes to foods containing tryptophan, Thanksgiving media has made many Americans well aware that turkey is one of the best sources. And as it turns out, that’s very true.

“If you’re feeling hungry before bed, try a few slices of turkey with some whole grain crackers and/or some cheese. It’s a protein-rich snack that provides tryptophan, the amino acid your body uses to make sleep-supporting hormones4,” Kishner says. Turkey you’ve cooked yourself also works here and is delicious as the main star of a hearty dinner or an addition to a salad or sandwich.

5. Kiwi

Kiwi is not only one of the tastiest fruits you can get your hands on (in my humble opinion), but it’s also packed with gut-healthy fiber and nutrients that can support restful sleep.

“Kiwifruit can be a great bedtime snack. Kiwis contain nutrients like serotonin and antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, which may help support healthy sleep. Try having one to two small kiwis before bed on their own, or make a simple Greek yogurt parfait with chopped kiwi and a few nuts,” Kishner suggests. Burgess agrees, adding, “Kiwi may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep. These fruits also make for delicious fruit salad and smoothie additions.

6. Dark Leafy Greens

Whether it’s kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, or another option, dark leafy greens of any kind can aid in a better night’s rest.

“Leafy greens may be an unexpected sleep-supporting food. They are sources of tryptophan as well as B vitamins needed for serotonin production. They also provide magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc, minerals that help protect against disrupted and short sleep7,” Burgess says. Leafy greens go well in pastas, soups, stir-fries, toasts, sandwiches, or even roasted on their own.

7. Boiled Eggs

Personally, I love hard-boiled eggs at any time of day or night they’re satisfying, delicious, and versatile enough to be added to all kinds of recipes. If you’re in the same boat and have trouble falling asleep, these could be a smart addition to dinner or a pre-bedtime snack, as they’re a great source of tryptophan, according to Kishner.

Plus, eggs are full of a range of B vitamins, which “are needed for the body to produce GABA and serotonin, which help support sleep8,” Burgess says. If not eaten on their own, hardboiled eggs (or eggs prepared however you like, really) are also great additions to salads, sandwiches, or grain bowls.

8. Edamame

As a quick and easy plant-based snack, steamed edamame (or soybeans) isn’t only tasty, but it may also support a restful night’s sleep.

“Many people associate tryptophan only with animal protein, but plant proteins such as soybeans are also sources. Soybeans offer additional sleep-supporting nutrients, including B vitamins and minerals, and they provide antioxidant isoflavones,” Burgess says. Edamame is also delicious in stir-fries, soups, or enjoyed as a crunchy chip alternative straight from the bag you can find several brands at many grocery stores these days.

The proponents of the programme recently engaged the Abuakwa South Municipal Health Directorate as part of preparations for the official launch of the initiative.

The meeting brought together the Municipal Health Director, Richard Essien; Constituency Women’s Organizer, Comfort Serwaa Oti; Constituency Organizer, Samuel Appiah; and other constituency executives.

Discussions during the engagement focused on the objectives of the programme and how it could support healthcare delivery for pregnant women across the municipality.

Following the deliberations, Apedwa was selected as the venue for the launch of the Kingsley Health Cares Programme.

The initiative is expected to provide additional support aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes for pregnant women in the Abuakwa South Municipality.

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Miriam’s journey began in 2020 when she discovered a sharp, painful lump in her left breast. On the advice of family and loved ones, she initially sought herbal remedies. However, as her condition showed no improvement, she turned to conventional medicine and was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her diagnosis marked the start of an exhausting ordeal involving chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatment at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Miriam, who began sewing at age 17 before launching her career as a fashion designer, admitted that the experience tested her physically, emotionally, and financially.

Adding to her pain, Miriam’s partner abandoned her shortly after learning about her diagnosis and the start of her treatment.

Financial constraints quickly mounted, leaving her struggling to afford chemotherapy until supportive friends stepped in to cover the costs. At her lowest point, overwhelmed by emotional distress, Miriam contemplated taking her own life.

She said prayer, faith and the support of people around her eventually helped her regain hope and continue with her treatment.

Beyond her physical and financial struggles, Miriam’s journey highlighted the profound stigma surrounding fertility and motherhood for cancer patients.

For many women diagnosed with breast cancer, concerns about whether they will be able to have children after treatment can become an additional source of anxiety and social pressure.

Miriam believes women should not be defined by their ability to have children, especially when they are fighting for their lives.

Her experience has strengthened her call for greater understanding and support for women who may experience fertility challenges as a result of cancer treatment.

President of the Breast Society of Ghana, Professor Josephine Nsaful, explained that a breast cancer diagnosis does not automatically mean a woman cannot have children.

She however mentioned that fertility may be affected in some women depending on factors like their age and the impact of chemotherapy on the ovaries.

She noted that women around the age of 45 and above may face greater fertility challenges because ovarian function may already be declining, and chemotherapy can further affect it.

The issue, she stressed, should therefore be approached with proper medical advice rather than stigma or assumptions about a woman’s ability to become a mother.

Although Miriam completed chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, her cancer journey did not end there.

She later experienced a recurrence, bringing back the fear and uncertainty associated with her initial diagnosis.

The death of her brother further intensified her fear of losing her own life.

Despite these challenges, Miriam continued to draw strength from her faith, family, friends and creative work.

She now uses her experience to advocate for breast cancer awareness and encourage women to take unusual changes in their bodies seriously.

She is particularly urging women not to rely solely on unproven remedies when they notice symptoms.

Miriam is encouraging women to become familiar with their breasts and seek professional medical attention when they notice unusual or persistent changes.

These may include a breast lump, changes in breast size or shape, nipple abnormalities or other unexplained changes.

She also emphasises that completing treatment should not mean abandoning medical care.

According to her, survivors must continue with regular follow-ups and promptly report any unusual changes to healthcare professionals.

“Do not wait until the disease becomes serious before seeking help. Know your body, get checked and keep following up even after treatment,” is the message at the heart of her advocacy.

Through expressive arts and fashion, Miriam has also found an outlet for processing some of the emotions associated with her diagnosis and treatment.

Her journey from discovering a painful breast lump to undergoing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, surviving a recurrence and becoming an advocate for cancer awareness has become a story of resilience.

For Miriam, surviving breast cancer is not simply about completing treatment. It is also about reclaiming dignity, confronting stigma and reminding other women that a cancer diagnosis does not have to end their dreams, purpose or hope.

Her story is ultimately a call for early detection, timely medical care, continued follow-up and compassion for women navigating the physical and emotional consequences of breast cancer.

According to him, the proper functioning of a hospital largely depends on the quality of leadership and management at the facility, rather than waiting for the sector Minister or central government to address basic operational issues.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam, Dr Osei likened a hospital to a hotel, arguing that patients deserve a clean, serene and comfortable environment while receiving treatment.

“The hospital is like a hotel that you go to sleep in with your own money. So you ask yourself, what kind are you looking for? You want a serene and neat environment and a good bedsheet to sleep on but we always think the sick are vulnerable so they don’t have a choice,” he noted.

He said hospital administrators are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that patients receive not only effective treatment but also quality and seamless care in a conducive environment.

“In a properly functional hospital will depend on the leadership. You don’t expect the Minister to come and tell you how to manage your facility. You have been given a work, so you are responsible.

“Apart from treating the person for them to be healed, what are the other functions? That will make the hospital great? Because if the ward is not a place well kept for patients to be, if you admit someone there, it won’t be good,” he said.

Dr Osei stressed the need for hospital managers to prioritise cleanliness, organisation and the overall patient experience as part of efforts to ensure seamless care.

“So you have to ensure that you provide seamless care. It all depends on priority for you to,” he added.

He further argued that quality healthcare management does not always depend on having abundant resources, but rather on how effectively available resources are utilised.

“It doesn’t matter to have all the resources in this world, and that is what quality assurance is, making the best out of the minimum resources.

“Neatness doesn’t need money. It’s the approach, organisation, and how you carry people to see this is required from every living thing on this earth.”

Dr Osei questioned why basic maintenance issues, such as overgrown grass or damaged nets at health facilities, should automatically become the responsibility of central government.

“So I don’t think if somewhere is grown of grasses, a net is torn, it should be the responsibility of central government,” he said.

According to the Administrator, the secondment of NHIA staff to the GMTF during its formative stages provided the Fund with critical expertise and institutional knowledge needed to establish its systems and processes.

In a message marking the first anniversary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Ms Darko-Opoku said building the Fund from the ground up required putting systems in place, bringing people together and developing processes, making the support from the NHIA particularly valuable.

She said the seconded staff did more than provide additional manpower, noting that they brought “rich experience, institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of the work” to the Fund.

“They rolled up their sleeves, became part of the team, took on the pressure with us and gave an incredible account of themselves,” she said.

The Administrator said the contribution of the NHIA personnel remained an important part of the story of the Fund’s progress one year after its establishment.

She also praised Dr Bampoe for his continued availability and guidance whenever the Fund encountered challenges or needed to review its approach to difficult issues.

According to her, the NHIA Director-General consistently provided experience, perspective and practical suggestions that helped the Fund navigate some of its challenges.

“There have been plenty of conversations, plenty of ideas, plenty of ‘let’s look at this again’ moments and, of course, the occasional ‘Onua, I have a problem!’ call,” she said.

Ms Darko-Opoku stressed that Dr Bampoe’s contribution went beyond offering advice from the sidelines, describing him as someone who actively participated in the work of building the Fund.

She therefore placed Dr Bampoe among the individuals whose support had been instrumental in making the first year of the GMTF possible.

“Thank you, Onua, for lending us your people, your experience, your wisdom and your support when we needed it most,” the Administrator said.

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, established as part of efforts to mobilise resources to support the treatment of critical illnesses and improve access to specialised healthcare, has marked its first year of operations with a number of interventions and partnerships in the health sector.

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The agency says it is awaiting a formal report from the hospital’s management to determine the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death and whether there were any breaches of duty of care.

The deceased, Theresa Boakye Dapaah, died after giving birth to her first child at the facility.

Her husband, Daniel Ofori-Sarpong, has publicly raised allegations of negligence against the hospital and its medical staff.

Speaking on Accra-based Starr FM, the Chief Executive Officer of HEFRA, Dr Winfred Korletey Baah, said the agency had already engaged the hospital’s management and was expecting its report shortly.

“So, in this case, and I’ve talked to the CEO for Ridge Hospital, we have started investigations, and they will send a report to us very soon,” Dr Baah said.

He explained that the outcome of the investigation would determine whether disciplinary action should be taken against any health professional or the facility itself.

“All those who are found to have breached their duty of care… to have breached their duty of care, we are going to sanction them. And the facility, if there are systemic lapses, we will sanction the facility,” he stated.

Dr Baah said where the investigation establishes that a doctor breached professional standards, the matter would be referred to the Medical and Dental Council for further disciplinary action.

He added that nurses found culpable would similarly be referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Beyond individual responsibility, Dr Baah said the investigation would also examine whether broader institutional or systemic failures may have contributed to the incident.

“Where systemic issues are identified, HEFRA would direct the facility to implement corrective measures, such as ensuring senior doctors handle complex cases or improving the quality of medical supplies, and require evidence of compliance,” he added.

The HEFRA CEO stressed that the agency would rely on the findings of the investigation before determining the appropriate action.

He said the case also presented an opportunity to identify weaknesses within the health system and introduce measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The investigation remains ongoing, with HEFRA expected to review Ridge Hospital’s report before deciding on the next steps.

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Reflecting on the Fund’s first year, Ms Darko-Opoku said it was impossible to discuss the journey without acknowledging the important role played by the Health Minister.

According to her, while the public often sees the outcomes of the Fund’s work, several conversations, long meetings, difficult decisions and behind-the-scenes engagements contribute to those achievements.

She said Mr Akandoh had consistently demonstrated a willingness to engage, listen, challenge ideas and provide direction, particularly during moments when there were no easy answers.

“We have had those moments where there was no easy answer and no perfect choice, but you have always been willing to engage, listen, challenge the thinking, provide direction and stay with the process until we found the best way forward,” she stated.

Ms Darko-Opoku expressed appreciation to Mr Akandoh for his guidance, candour and patience, particularly his willingness to work through difficult decisions rather than simply asking whether a particular decision was the best option.

“Thank you for the guidance, the candour, the patience and the many moments when, instead of simply asking, ‘Is this the best decision?’, you sit with me and work through it until we are both confident that it is the best decision, not just for today, but a decision we can both look back on and know that we got right,” she said.

As the Ghana Medical Trust Fund marks one year of full operations, Ms Darko-Opoku said the milestone should not be seen as a reason to relax, but rather the beginning of more work and greater responsibilities.

“One year down… and knowing us, we are definitely not about to start relaxing now. In fact, we are just about starting,” she said.

She noted that the Fund still had significant work ahead, including difficult decisions and further engagements to advance its mandate.

Ms Darko-Opoku also prayed for God’s continued blessings, strength, wisdom and grace for the Health Minister as he leads the health sector.

“May God continue to bless your kind heart, strengthen you and give you the wisdom and grace to keep leading with the commitment you bring to the health sector. You are truly appreciated,” she added.

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The items donated include a computer, printer, refrigerator, office chairs, tables and student mattresses.

The MP said the gesture forms part of his efforts to support institutions providing critical services to residents of the constituency.

Speaking to Adom News Correspondent Odehyeba Owusu Job after presenting the items, Mr Kpotosu highlighted the crucial role of the Ambulance Service in saving lives, particularly during medical emergencies, accidents and other situations requiring urgent attention.

He therefore called on other stakeholders, corporate institutions and philanthropists to complement the government’s efforts by providing the service with the resources and infrastructure needed to operate effectively.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Ambulance Service, Principal Advanced Emergency Medical Technologist (PAEMT), Henry Horlali Mawugbe, expressed appreciation to the MP for the gesture.

He said the equipment would improve the working conditions of personnel and contribute to the efficient delivery of emergency medical services in Ho Central and surrounding communities.

Mr Mawugbe, however, appealed for further support, particularly in the area of infrastructure.

According to him, the facility has not undergone any major infrastructural development since the ambulance post was established in 2005, a situation he said continues to affect the working environment of personnel.

He also appealed for additional ambulances and other operational logistics to enable the service to respond promptly to emergencies.

Meanwhile, Mr Kpotosu has pledged to work with the Municipal Chief Executive for Ho Central, Stephen Adom, to secure a befitting office facility for the Ghana National Ambulance Service in the municipality.

The musician, born Grace Kaki Awo Ocansey, is now professionally known as Dr. Grace Aidoo, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC. She recently introduced Kaylora Holistic Wellness & Recovery, a US-based mental health practice providing psychiatric and therapeutic services.

In announcing the practice, Kaakie said her approach is centered on compassionate and individualised care, with attention to the broader circumstances of each client rather than focusing solely on a diagnosis.

Kaylora’s services include psychiatric evaluations, medication management, ADHD care, treatment for anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder care, trauma and PTSD support, psychotherapy, couples’ therapy, and child and adolescent psychiatric care, as well as court-ordered psychiatric and DUI evaluations. The practice also offers telehealth services.

From nursing to dancehall

Kaakie’s latest achievement brings her career full circle, having started out in healthcare before becoming one of Ghana’s prominent female dancehall artistes.

She studied nursing and midwifery at the University of Ghana and gained public attention after participating in the television music competition Stars of the Future, where she finished fifth.

Her appearance on the competition eventually led to a professional music career. She later connected with producer JMJ and signed with Xtra Large Music, establishing herself as a major force in Ghana’s dancehall scene.

Kaakie recorded several popular songs during her music career, including “Ewoo,” “Too Much,” “Toffee Pon Tongue,” and “Zuuchia.” She also won Best New Artiste of the Year and Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year at the 2013 Ghana Music Awards.

Even at the height of her music career, she continued to work in healthcare. In a 2014 interview with Graphic Showbiz, she spoke about the challenge of balancing her work as a registered general nurse with her music career.

Returning to healthcare

Kaakie eventually stepped away from music to focus more extensively on healthcare and further education.

She earned a master’s degree from Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom in 2019. In 2020, she explained in an interview with Joy FM that her desire to contribute to healthcare, particularly in the area of maternal health, had become stronger than her desire to continue making music.

Her professional journey later shifted toward mental health.

In 2025, she announced that she had earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialisation from Walden University.

Her latest qualification takes that journey another step forward, with her Doctor of Nursing Practice placing her at the doctoral level of nursing education.

Professional listings identify Dr. Grace Aidoo as a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and associate her with Kaylora Holistic Wellness & Recovery.

A new professional identity

The launch of Kaylora represents a significant transformation for an artiste who became widely known for her energetic performances and contribution to Ghana’s dancehall movement in the early 2010s.

While Kaakie’s music career established her public profile, her latest work places healthcare and mental well-being at the centre of her professional identity.

Her journey from nursing student to dancehall star, and now to a doctoral-level mental health practitioner and healthcare entrepreneur, has connected two areas that have defined different stages of her life.

For fans who remember her as Ghana’s “Dancehall Queen,” the emergence of Dr. Grace Aidoo signals a new chapter in the career of one of the country’s most distinctive female entertainers.

The study, published in European Urology Oncology, was led by the University of Birmingham and a diagnostics company Nonacus, and involved nearly 1,000 patients at seven hospitals in England and Scotland.

Researchers hope it could reduce the number of patients needing urgent, more invasive procedures, called cystoscopies, which involve inserting a small camera up the urethra and into the bladder.

If a larger trial is successful, it could mean tens of thousands of patients a year are spared these tests.

More convenient for patients

More than 300,000 cystoscopies are performed in the UK each year and there are significant waiting lists in some areas.

While the urine test is not a replacement for cystoscopies, it could help doctors identify patients at greater risk who should be prioritised for urgent ones rather than wait.

This NHS trial found that the Galeas urine test identified 92% of bladder cancer cases.

A negative result meant there was more than a 99% chance that the patient did not have bladder cancer.

It checks for any genetic material shed into the urine by bladder cancer and was originally developed by the University of Birmingham with funding from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

It looks for more than 450 DNA mutations associated with bladder cancer across 23 genes.

Prof Richard Bryan, co-author of the study and from Birmingham University, said after spending years developing and evaluating the science, it was exciting to see “very promising early performance” in a large real-world patient population.

Under a licensing agreement, the test has been commercialised by Nonacus, which pays back part of the revenue to the University and CRUK.

Michelle Mitchell from CRUK said: “Too many people are waiting longer than they should for a bladder cancer diagnosis, and it’s essential that we find ways to tackle this problem.

“It’s early days for this test and further research is needed, but it’s vital that we continue to find faster and less invasive ways to help diagnose or rule out cancer.”

Bladder cancer is more common in men over the age of 60 and the main symptom is blood in your urine.

How serious bladder cancer is depends on how big the cancer is and whether it has spread elsewhere in the body.

Early detection and treatment of cancer saves lives.