The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced with immediate effect free treatment for non-insured cerebrospinal meningitis patients in the Upper West Region.
A letter dated January 30, 2025 by the Acting Director- General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea noted that this waive of treatment costs applies to all Ghana Health Service facilities in the region.
The free treatment will include medicines and healthcare services to non-insured patients.
“To remove financial barrier to accessing care and encourage early reporting of meningitis cases for treatment, you are entreated to ensure that, all treatment costs for meningitis cases (medicines and services) of non-insured clients are made free in Ghana Health Service facilities with immediate effect,” the letter said.
The Director-General urged the Regional Medical Store to make available medicines and non-medicine consumables to health facilities and instruct management of all health facilities to strictly comply with the free treatment directive and ensure full documentation of such treatment costs for further action.
This development comes in the wake of increased cases of meningitis reported in the Region.
As of January 27 2025, the Upper West Region has reported 17 suspected cases of cerebrospinal meningitis, with six confirmed deaths, according to Dr Collins Boateng Danquah, Deputy Director of Public Health.
He disclosed that the cases were recorded across six districts, with the highest numbers in the Nadowli/Kaleo District and Nandom Municipality.
Cerebrospinal meningitis is a fatal disease common in the meningitis belt, which spans the Upper West, Upper East, and Northern regions of Ghana. The disease often begins in October and claims several lives during this period.
