Dr Felix Gerald Kwaning Darbbey, the Awutu Senya West District Director of Health Services, has urged residents in the district to prioritise their health this year.
Residents must go to the nearest health facility for regular check-ups, maintain clean environment and seek medical help early.
He said health care was a shared responsibility, hence the need for all to work together to safeguard their health.
Dr Kwaning Darbbey, who made the call in an interview with Ghana News Agency, gave thanks to God Almighty for preserving their lives.
Reflecting on the achievements of the district, Dr Kwaning Darbbey praised frontline health workers for their collective resilience, cooperation and dedication that culminated in the significant milestones achieved in 2025.
According to him, there was commendable increase in childhood immunisation coverage across their sub-districts last year, ensuring children were protected against preventable diseases.
On maternal and child health, the Director disclosed that their targeted campaigns, was particularly focused on reducing anaemia in women of reproductive age and improving antenatal care attendance, yielding positive results in maternal outcomes.
He stated that, their community and stakeholder engagement initiative allowed them to reach out to the most remote areas of the district, bringing screening and preventive services directly to the inhabitants.
“It has also resulted in significantly improved health infrastructure led by Madam Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, Member of Parliament of the area, Mr Eghan Kalala Nyamekye the District Chief Executive (DCE), Traditional Authorities, Individuals and other organisations,” he said.
He added: “While we celebrate our wins, we must also be honest about the hurdles we faced in 2025 like flooding in certain areas in the district, which brought environmental challenges, testing our sanitation systems and increased the risk of waterborne diseases.”
According to Dr Kwaning Darbbey, the district continued to grapple with limited resources and there was an urgent need to upgrade their health infrastructure to meet the demands of the growing population.
He said the challenges would not discourage them but serve as a blueprint for focusing their energy on finding solutions in the coming months.
For the way forward in 2026, he stated that the District Health Directorate was committed to “Prevention First” approach and their key priorities would include enhanced disease surveillance and strengthening of early warning systems to better manage and prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.
He said: “On climate-resilient health services, we are working with district authorities to ensure health delivery remains uninterrupted during environmental emergencies and to improve sanitation.
“We will also intensify our efforts to combat malnutrition and lifestyle-related diseases through community education and school health programmes.
“My office is dedicated to ensuring that every person who walks into a Community Health Planning and Services compound or health facility in this district is treated with utmost dignity, professionalism and quality care.”