The Minister for Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has launched the National Health Promotion Strategy 2022-2026 to improve the quality of health promotion services at all levels.
The strategy will also increase collaboration for health service provision.
Mr Agyeman-Manu, who launched the strategy at the second Ghana Health Service (GHS) Senior Managers’ Meeting in Accra said individual and group behaviour change was a critical element in any health program and system.
“People seek services because of their behaviours and improving important health indicators is one of the main challenges for us all and we know that using modern family planning methods, condoms for safe sex has a demonstrable impact on families and communities by spacing out births and preventing sexually transmitted diseases” he emphasized.
He added that healthy eating diets and the incorporation of nutrient-rich foods can reduce the impact on non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and other harmful effects of obesity.
According to the minister, there was a need for an effective, responsive and well-managed health systems delivery, evidence-driven health promotion and behaviour change interventions at all levels, especially at the community level.
On his part, the Director of the Health Promotion Division, Dr Da Costa Aboagye said the strategy would seek to build healthy public policy, create supportive environments, strengthen community action, develop personal skills and re-orient health services.
He indicated that this would also increase the ability of Ghanaians to improve their health, involve the population in the context of their everyday lives and drive activities that are geared toward promoting health and preventing ill-health.
