GHS promotes positive lifestyle in communities

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyirah has reaffirmed the directorate’s commitment to empowering communities to adopt healthier and happier lifestyles.

He stated that the best and easier method to promote a healthy life was to encourage communities to keep their surrounding clear and develop good personal hygiene.

This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by the Northern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Jacob Mahama at the re-launch of a programme dubbed, “Good Life, Live it Well” in Tamale on Wednesday.

The “Good life, Live it Well” brand was officially launched by the GHS last year with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The idea of the re-launch of the programme is to promote good health and positive lifestyles in communities.

The director general explained that the concepts of the programme would help improve the lives of pregnant women and their partners, children under five years, adolescents and young people in relationships.

He added that the USAID Communicate for Health project would be designing a new campaign using news papers, radio and television to reach the audience,

Dr. Denkyirah stated that the USAID and its partners UNICEF, health promotion officers, public health nurses, nutrition officers, and others in the three regions of the north and GHS staff would put their heads together to produce media messages tailored towards pregnant couples and caregivers of children under five years.

He said that social and behaviour change communication theory would be adopted to achieve its goals.

The Director General stated that the materials developed would cover family planning, maternal, child and newborn health, nutrition, malaria, water, sanitation and hygiene.

Dr. Denkyirah further stated that the health messages would move beyond giving information and instructions to targeted groups and communities to encourage ownership and responsibility for healthy habits and lifestyles.

The Family Health Team Leader of USAID Ms. Nora Maresh said the US government would continue to demonstrate leadership and shared responsibility in reducing maternal and child mortality.

Ms. Maresh said increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation as well as access to modern contraceptives and promoting social and behaviour change in the country would be USAID’s main focus.

She said USAID was proud to partner the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service on the good life campaign.

Ms. Maresh said they would continue the partnership in order to equip men, women and children across Ghana to make healthy decisions and live a good life.