The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has visited the Upper West Region to engage community members and health staff on the ongoing Yellow Fever reactive vaccination campaign and hand over 100 motorbikes to strengthen primary healthcare delivery.
As part of the visit, Dr. Akoriyea, accompanied by the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Josephat Nyuzaghl, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe and other officials, visited Siriyiri in the Wa West District, where he interacted with the chief and community members to encourage participation in the vaccination campaign.
The Chief of Siriyiri, who expressed excitement over the visit, noted that Dr. Akoriyea was the first Director-General of the Ghana Health Service to visit the community. During household visits, the Director-General listened to residents’ concerns and highlighted the importance of vaccination in protecting individuals, families and communities against Yellow Fever.
Dr. Akoriyea disclosed that Wa West District had achieved approximately 92 per cent vaccination coverage at the time of the visit, against the GHS target of 100 per cent. He appealed to chiefs, traditional authorities and other stakeholders to intensify community engagement and encourage eligible residents who had not yet been vaccinated to receive the vaccine. He also urged community members to promptly report illness among persons arriving from neighbouring countries to support early detection and timely intervention.
Providing an update on the vaccination exercise, he revealed that out of the 225,446 people vaccinated, only one person had experienced a mild adverse reaction, which was promptly managed. He reassured the public that the Yellow Fever vaccine is safe, internationally approved and widely used.
In a related development, the Director-General handed over 100 motorbikes to Dr. Nyuzaghl to support the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme initiated by the President of the Republic of Ghana. The motorbikes are expected to improve the mobility of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) personnel, particularly those serving remote and hard-to-reach communities.
Dr. Akoriyea emphasised that the motorbikes must be used strictly for their intended purpose and properly maintained. He added that the long-term plan is to provide every CHPS facility with a motorbike to facilitate community outreach and improve access to essential healthcare services.
Receiving the motorbikes, Dr. Nyuzaghl expressed appreciation to the Director-General and assured him that the motorbikes would be properly maintained and distributed to the intended beneficiaries in a timely manner.
The Ghana Health Service is commited to strengthening public confidence in vaccination, improving community participation in disease prevention and expanding access to quality primary healthcare across the Upper West Region, particularly in underserved communities.