The North East region has recorded 30 suspected cases of meningitis. Out of this figure, four cases have been confirmed and three people have reportedly died.
The North East Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr Kwabena Sarpong, who disclosed this to the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, during a working visit to the region last week, attributed the deaths to delays in reporting to the hospital for medical attention.
However, he indicated that efforts are being made to intensify community engagement and sensitisation to create awareness across the various districts.
Making a presentation before the sector Minister and other stakeholders, Dr Sarpong also highlighted that maternal and newborn deaths remain critical in the region.
According to him, the region recorded 12 deaths in 2024, and the number regrettably increased further to 14 in 2025.
“And again, the major issues bother on referrals. The major issue driving maternal deaths beyond the human resource is also the referrals; they are coming from very deprived communities and our ambulance service is not very functional,” he stated.
The Director emphasised that only four out the eight vehicles are functional, stressing even if there is an emergency and they (four ambulance) have to respond, there’s no fuel for them to move.
As a result, community members would usually have to rely on their own means of transportation, undermining timeliness and speed for medical care.
The North East region is also saddled with non-communicable diseases, and about 40 to 50 percent of the deaths recorded in the area are attributed to NCDs.
The Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service in his remarks said health personnel are constrained by funding and equipment despite efforts last year to carry out screenings on hypertension, diabetes among others.
“And so, we are hoping to rely on the back of the government’s primary healthcare policy program to scale up our interventions” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, for his part stated that the government has introduced several policy reforms in the sector.
Among others, the Minister mentioned the introduction of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as The MahamaCares, a landmark initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals living with chronic diseases across the country.
Mr. Akandoh admonished the general public to show interest in the policy and make very good use of it.
He noted health is critical and implored all relevant stakeholders in the value-chain to collaborate effectively to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare for the citizenry.
