The Ministry of Health says climate change is increasingly straining healthcare delivery in Ghana, forcing the sector to adjust its policies and operations to respond to new and unexpected disease patterns.
Speaking at the JoyNews Climate Talks in partnership with the German Embassy at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Tony Goodman, said the unpredictable weather patterns are affecting patient turnout and overwhelming health workers.
“You are expecting some dry season, but you have rain. So, climate change has affected health delivery. It has changed our policy,” he said. “Health workers go to work expecting a certain number of patients, but they end up overwhelmed by what they see.”
Mr Goodman explained that to address these emerging health challenges, the Ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, has established disease surveillance systems across the country to detect early signs of climate-related illnesses.
“We’ve done 36 [centres] and are currently scaling it up nationwide,” he revealed, adding that there is a dedicated source of funding to support the initiative.
“If you don’t have that, you may not know what you are dealing with, and it will be difficult to streamline your policies.”
The Ministry’s remarks come amid growing concerns from experts that climate change is intensifying outbreaks of infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera, while also increasing pressure on healthcare infrastructure.