Typhoid Outbreak: Unposted Health Officers demand urgent posting

The Unposted Environmental Health Officers and Assistants Association of Ghana is demanding immediate government intervention following a deadly typhoid fever outbreak that has killed several people in the Oti Region since January 2025.

In a statement issued Monday, September 1, 2025, the group described the crisis as a preventable tragedy caused by the longstanding neglect of the environmental health sector. They cited the unemployment of more than 3,600 graduates from the country’s Schools of Hygiene in Ho, Tamale, and Accra since 2021 as a key factor worsening sanitation and public health challenges nationwide.

“We hold the Government of Ghana accountable for this unfortunate situation, which has affected over 10,233 individuals in the Oti Region,” the association said.

The officers pointed to poor waste management, inadequate medical screening of food vendors, and understaffed environmental health units as underlying issues fueling the outbreak. They also accused the government of lacking the political will to upgrade the Environmental Health Directorate into a fully resourced authority capable of tackling recurring public health emergencies.

While welcoming recent proposals by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Water and Sanitation, Kwabena Oti Bless, to increase the sanitation levy and elevate the directorate into an authority, the association warned that such pledges must not remain political talk without action.

Calling for urgent financial clearance for their posting, the group stressed: “As professionals, we are ready and willing to supplement the efforts of the overburdened officers currently on the field.”

The association reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sanitation improvements across the country, urging the Ministries of Local Government, Health, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and other relevant agencies to act swiftly to prevent further loss of lives.

Read also…