Also known as: Prof. Akoriyea · Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea · Dr. Kaba Akoriyea · Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea · Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea · Dr Akoriyea · Dr. Akoriyea · Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea · Professor Akoriyea · Dr Samuel Akoriyea · Prof. Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea
Director-General of Ghana Health Service leading national health programs including Free Primary Healthcare, disease prevention, and emergency preparedness.
… Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said more than 54,000 households had been assessed and 12,016 home visits conducted within the first week of implementation. …
The Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, says the selection of districts for the Free Primary HealthCare (FPHC) programme is based on levels of deprivation, access to health services and not political considerations. …
… Launching the documents in Accra on Friday, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the PHEOC would not replace the statutory mandates of other institutions but would provide a platform for coordinated public health emergency action. …
… Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the Director-General of the GHS, said the launch marked an important step in strengthening Ghana’s national health security. …
… Speaking at the launch, GHS Director-General Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea said the PHEOC system would provide a platform for coordinated action without taking over the statutory responsibilities of other institutions. …
… Introducing water too early may reduce breast milk and cause water intoxication,” the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, cautioned in a statement to mark this year’s Breastfeeding Month. …
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has called for stronger commitment from stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme. …
… The agreement was signed at the Ghana Health Service Headquarters in Pantang, Accra, by Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, and Dr Mary Dede Ansong, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of the International Sickle Cell Centre. …
President John Dramani Mahama announced that the government's Free Primary Healthcare Programme has covered 135 of 150 targeted deprived districts, with the remaining 15 to be onboarded by year-end and all 261 districts to be covered by end of 2028. The programme provides free basic diagnosis, treatment, antenatal and postnatal services, and treatment of minor ailments at CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics without requiring National Health Insurance cards or payment.
President John Dramani Mahama announced that the government's Free Primary Healthcare Programme has covered 135 of 150 targeted deprived districts, with the remaining 15 to be onboarded by year-end and all 261 districts to be covered by end of 2028. The programme provides free basic diagnosis, treatment, antenatal and postnatal services, and treatment of minor ailments at CHPS compounds, health centres and polyclinics without requiring National Health Insurance cards or payment.
The Minister of Health says the government is recruiting 16,000 health professionals to support the Free Primary Health Care programme towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, with 8,000 already recruited and posted to health facilities and 8,000 more planned. He noted that health professionals are increasingly accepting postings to underserved areas including the Upper West region, and that the government has placed 13,500 nurses on the payroll and cleared their arrears.
Ghana Health Service Director-General Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea says the selection of districts for the Free Primary HealthCare programme is based on levels of deprivation, access to health services, and indicators including hospital availability, maternal mortality, school enrolment and distance to healthcare — not political considerations.
The Ghana Health Service has released five strategic documents and a national roadmap to strengthen the country's public health emergency preparedness, coordination, and response. The documents include a National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Strategic Plan 2026–2030, handbook, standard operating procedures, and a National Public Health Workforce Surge Strategy Plan 2026.
The Ghana Health Service has launched five strategic documents, including the National PHEOC Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and National PHEOC Handbook 2026, to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response across the country. The documents were developed through collaboration among the Ministry of Health, GHS, security and emergency services, academia, research institutions, professional bodies, civil society and private-sector stakeholders.
The Ghana Health Service has launched a new Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) framework to strengthen Ghana's preparedness and response to disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. The framework brings together institutions, information, expertise, and resources to enable coordinated response, and includes five strategic and operational documents designed to support implementation of International Health Regulations 2005.
The Ghana Health Service advises that babies below six months need only breast milk, which contains all necessary nutrients and water; introducing water early may reduce breast milk intake and cause water intoxication, the GHS Director-General said ahead of Breastfeeding Month 2026.
The Upper West Regional Hospital has received a GH₵4 million expanded renal care unit featuring six new dialysis machines, equipment and staff training to serve patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. The facility, inaugurated by SHEILD last Tuesday, aims to reduce the burden of travel for patients seeking specialist healthcare in the region.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service called for stronger commitment to ensure effective implementation of the Free Primary Health Care programme, emphasizing the need to prioritise communities facing difficulties accessing essential healthcare and bring quality services closer to people rather than requiring long-distance travel.
The Ghana Health Service and the International Sickle Cell Centre have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen Ghana's national response to sickle cell disease through coordinated action across education, screening, comprehensive care, research, policy and health systems strengthening. Sickle cell disease is Ghana's most common inherited blood disorder, with approximately 18,000 babies born with the condition each year and approximately one in four Ghanaians carrying the sickle cell or haemoglobin C trait.
Ghana's Ministry of Health has launched a National Viral Hepatitis Technical Working Group to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, as part of World Hepatitis Day 2026 activities. The initiative aims to strengthen prevention, diagnosis, treatment and awareness, with health authorities estimating the disease affects about 10 per cent of Ghana's population.
Ghana's Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service have appointed musician Okyeame Kwame as National Hepatitis Ambassador and launched a National Viral Hepatitis Technical Working Group as part of efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. The government plans to scale up interventions including nationwide rollout of Hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine and encourage regular screening.
LCB Worldwide Ghana Limited partnered with the Ghana Health Service to fumigate markets, transport terminals and other public places in the Korle Klottey Municipality as part of the National General Cleaning Exercise announced by President Mahama following recent floods. The fumigation was intended to reduce the risk of sanitation-related diseases such as cholera, malaria and typhoid during the rainy season.
Crisis management company LCB Worldwide Ghana Limited partnered with the Ghana Health Service to undertake a large-scale fumigation exercise across key public spaces in Accra on Saturday, July 11, 2026, as part of efforts to prevent disease outbreaks during the rainy season and support the government's National General Cleaning Exercise.
The Ghana Health Service has confirmed no cholera outbreak following the June 29 floods, but is urging continued preventive measures including sanitation and hygiene practices. The GHS is conducting disinfection exercises in flood-affected communities to minimise the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
The Ghana Health Service Director-General has called for increased public commitment to sanitation to prevent disease outbreaks following floods in Accra, with GHS commencing fumigation of markets, terminals, and public spaces. Local authorities in Korle Klottey Municipality are managing flood-generated waste and have appealed for public patience as sanitation teams clear debris.
The Ghana Health Service has begun fumigating flood-affected communities in Accra, including markets and transport terminals, to prevent disease outbreaks. The Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly is clearing debris from homes, with over six trucks working to remove most waste by the end of the day or next day.
The Ghana Health Service has issued a public alert about health dangers during the rainy season, including waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and dengue fever, and increased snakebites from wildlife displaced by flooding.
Stakeholders at the Third Annual International Sickle Cell Disease Conference have called for sustained investment, stronger partnerships, and a coordinated national response to tackle sickle cell care in Ghana, where thousands of patients face challenges accessing diagnosis, treatment and support. The Ghana Health Service Director-General noted that about 18,000 children are born with the condition each year, with many experiencing recurrent pain crises and significant financial burdens.
The Ghana Health Service will conduct a Mass Drug Administration campaign from June 20 to July 3, 2026, providing free preventive treatment for onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis to nearly eight million people across the country. The campaign targets 86 onchocerciasis-endemic districts in 15 regions, about 266,000 people in two elephantiasis-endemic districts, and 13 districts across eight regions for schistosomiasis, as part of Ghana's strategy to eliminate these diseases by 2030.
The Ghana Health Service will conduct a Mass Drug Administration campaign from June 20 to July 10 across districts affected by Bilharzia, Elephantiasis, and River Blindness, as part of efforts to eliminate these neglected tropical diseases by 2030. The Director-General emphasized that medical interventions alone are insufficient and that a one-health approach addressing sanitation, water, and environmental issues is essential to prevent the diseases' spread.
The Ghana Health Service will conduct a Mass Drug Administration campaign from June 20 to July 3, 2026, targeting nearly eight million eligible people across multiple regions to prevent onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis. The initiative is part of Ghana's strategy to eliminate neglected tropical diseases as a public health threat by 2030.
The Ghana Health Service has cautioned the public against waterborne and other related diseases associated with the rainy season, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery, malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever, urging preventive measures such as maintaining clean surroundings, cooking food thoroughly, and washing produce with clean water.
The Ghana Health Service has cautioned the public to take preventive measures against waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases including cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever as the rainy season increases the likelihood of outbreaks. The Service recommends maintaining clean surroundings, removing stagnant water containers, washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and practising regular handwashing to prevent disease spread.
Ghana's Health Service Director-General is touring key health facilities in Accra to assess the country's preparedness for a potential Ebola outbreak, following a rise in cases in parts of Central and Eastern Africa. The inspection covers laboratory capacity, case management, surveillance, and response systems at facilities including the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre, Nyaho Medical Centre, Kotoka International Airport, and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service says the country is fully prepared to contain any Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks, citing strengthened preparedness systems following rising Ebola cases in Central and Eastern Africa. He noted that Ghana has adequate experience and personnel from managing COVID-19 and previous Ebola preparedness exercises.
The Health Minister announced the Free Primary Healthcare programme at a launch in Dambai, Oti Region, aimed at removing financial and geographical barriers to healthcare access. The first phase targets 150 underserved districts and will provide free preventive, diagnostic, and curative services at community facilities for NHIA card holders, including treatment for malaria, cholera, maternal and child health services, and management of non-communicable diseases.
The Ghana Health Service has activated enhanced surveillance and preparedness measures following reports of a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in Cape Verde, with five confirmed cases and three deaths recorded as of May 7, 2026, though the WHO and CDC have assessed global public health risk as low.
Following reports of Hantavirus infections on a cruise ship docked in Cape Verde—with five confirmed cases and three deaths among eight suspected cases—the Ghana Health Service has activated enhanced disease surveillance measures across the country. No case has been recorded in Ghana, but the GHS noted precautionary public health interventions are being strengthened.
The Ghana Health Service has assured the family of Abigail Opoku, who died at the Mother and Child Hospital in Kasoa after reportedly being unable to undergo a caesarean section due to unavailable recovery ward beds, that an investigation committee will conduct a thorough and transparent inquiry with backing from the Ministry of Health and the President.