The Preventive Health Nurses Society of Ghana (PREHENS-GH) has called on government and corporate institutions to provide stronger support to improve preventive healthcare services, particularly in rural communities across Ghana.
The appeal was made during the society’s maiden Biennial General Conference held at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, where preventive health professionals and other stakeholders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen community health systems and promote preventive healthcare nationwide.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the conference, the National Chairperson of PREHENS-GH, Dora-Jones Yaidoo, highlighted the crucial role preventive health nurses play in addressing the growing cases of non-communicable diseases across the country.
She explained that PREHENS nurses are actively working in communities to help reduce cases of conditions such as Hypertension and Diabetes, which are becoming increasingly common in many rural areas.
Miss Yaidoo noted, however, that the society continues to face significant challenges, including inadequate logistics and limited resources, which affect their ability to deliver services effectively.
According to her, stronger support from government and private organisations would enable the society to expand its work, improve preventive health education, and strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved communities.
Also speaking to the media, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Fred Adomako Boateng, stressed that greater attention to preventive healthcare workers is essential for the country’s development.
He explained that strengthening preventive healthcare systems will help reduce the national disease burden, improve productivity and ease the pressure on curative health services across the country.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Nkwantakese, Nana Boakye-Yam Ababio, announced that he has allocated ten acres of land to PREHENS-GH to support the establishment of a research institute.
He appealed to government to facilitate the development of the project, explaining that the proposed institute would promote research and innovation in preventive healthcare while strengthening Ghana’s response to non-communicable diseases.
The maiden biennial conference brought together preventive health nurses, health professionals and other stakeholders to deliberate on practical strategies aimed at improving community health systems and advancing preventive healthcare across the country.
