Accra: The Ghana Health Service (GHS) will require all health facilities to maintain functional medical oxygen and a working pulse oximeter as minimum patient safety standards. The policy, aimed at strengthening emergency and respiratory care, follows persistent gaps in oxygen availability across parts of the country's health system. Dr. Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, Director of the Institutional Care Division of the GHS, announced the measure on behalf of the Director-General at the 2026 Annual General Scientific Meeting of the Ghana Thoracic Society in Accra. It was held on the theme: 'The State of Respiratory Health in Ghana - Are We Prepared for Future Challenges?'
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Ofori-Boadu emphasized that medical oxygen should be regarded as an essential medicine rather than simply equipment, describing it as the most important respiratory therapy. He noted that lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic had underscored the need for reliable oxygen systems across all levels of healthcare. He highlighted that the pandemic taught the country a costly lesson about the consequences of running out of oxygen in critical situations. Dr. Ofori-Boadu acknowledged that Ghana was passing the test on oxygen 'in parts' and failing 'in parts,' with the greatest gaps existing in facilities serving poorer communities.
To address these gaps, the GHS plans to strengthen the respiratory component of its Primary and Comprehensive Emergency Care and Referrals training. This will include airway management, acute severe asthma, pediatric respiratory distress, oxygen delivery, and blood gas interpretation, aligning with the National Patient Referral Policy. Dr. Ofori-Boadu also mentioned the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, launched on April 15, 2026, in 150 underserved districts, expected to increase early presentation of patients with respiratory distress, necessitating dependable oxygen services at the first point of care. He described the programme as the largest respiratory health intervention in Ghana's recent history but acknowledged that it did not ensure health workers could recognize acute severe asthma or had access to functioning pulse oximeters.
Dr. Emelia Udofia, a consultant physician, addressed the meeting, highlighting the increasing demand for oxygen and other respiratory care services alongside a growing burden of respiratory disease associated with air pollution. She identified vehicle emissions, industrial activities, open burning of refuse, construction dust, and Saharan dust during the harmattan season as major contributors to air pollution in Ghana. Dr. Udofia explained that the health effects of air pollution depended on pollutant concentrations, exposure duration, and individual susceptibility.
She noted that fine particulate matter could penetrate deep into the lungs, contributing to inflammation and respiratory disease, while nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds posed health risks. An analysis comparing air pollution data with respiratory disease trends found similar peaks around March and November, coinciding with the harmattan season, although Dr. Udofia cautioned that the association did not establish a causal relationship. She highlighted that climate change also contributed to Ghana's respiratory disease burden through rising temperatures, increased ground-level ozone, extreme weather events, changing allergen patterns, and bushfire smoke.
Dr. Udofia estimated that air pollution costs Ghana about 4.5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product each year, or approximately US$2.5 billion, through lost productivity, absenteeism, increased hospital admissions, and long-term disability. She advocated for investing in clean air and occupational safety, describing it as a return on investment. She emphasized that despite the expansion of Ghana's air quality monitoring network, exposure levels among vulnerable populations remained inadequately measured, limiting the evaluation of interventions and evidence-based policies. Dr. Udofia called for greater investment in oxygen systems and diagnostic capacity, warning that health facilities would face increasing pressure unless the underlying drivers of air pollution were addressed.