Health Essentials
Christmas is almost here; avoid these energy sappers
It feels like Christmas of 2022 was just a couple of weeks ago. The reality though is that we celebrated what is arguably the most adored season of the year well over 300 days ago.
Many of us put ourselves in tight corners, saddling our families with debt and avoidable hardships in the early weeks of the new year.
Quite often we discuss what to do to improve our health and this is one of those days when discussing the things to avoid comes to the fore. If we can start these today, we will have a great Christmas season and open doors to a wonderful 2024.
What should we avoid so that we will not drain our energy?
1. Focusing on the past
2. Not getting adequate sleep
3. Not drinking enough water but loading yourself with alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks
4. Spending all your time working and leaving no time to rest and socialise
5. Not being physically active
6. Spending all your time behind screens, TV, phone, computer. Making social media king
7. Eating junk food most of the time
8. Being resentful, negative or surrounding yourself with people who see no good in anything
9. Creating clutter and a mess wherever you are
10. Trying hard to impress others
The list is endless but if you find a way to avoid the above and tap into the ones below, you will be on a great path to a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and successful 2024.
Do these for sure:
1. Listen to great relaxing music; start your Christmas carols early even if no one else is playing them
2. Spend time in nature and get some sunlight if you are lucky to be in a place where it’s in abundance
3. Make time to rest and meditate (pray and read your Bible after all its Christ’s birthday)
4. Move as often as possible and make time to do deep belly breathing
5. Be positive
6. Surround yourself with people who make you happy
7. Get adequate sleep
8. Eat healthy food as often as possible and drink a lot of water
9. Be grateful for what you have
10. Make sure you avoid clutter
I hope these tips will help you stay in the best state of your life and remember to continue doing these for the rest of your life. Does that sound too difficult?
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “WHERE YOU LIVE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE IF YOU LIVE.”- WHO
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials
Children Believe, Norsaac present medicines, medical equipment to three Health Directorates
THE Northern, Upper East and Savannah Regional Health Directorates have taken delivery of various medicines and medical equipment to improve care for pregnant/lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under five years.
The medicines and medical equipment, worth GH¢1.6 million, were procured with funding support from the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada.
They included Combined Iron (III) Hydroxide Polymaltose and Folic Acid – 5,500 Boxes, Mebendazole (Wormalex 400mg) – 10,000 Packs, Albendazole (400mg) – 20,000 Packs, Combine Ferrous Sulphate and Folic Acid (Folidyn Tab mp) – 2880 cartons, Tarring Weighing Scale- 18 pieces, Digital Thermometer – 108 pieces, and Height Rod in CMS/Feet HOM Stadiometer – 27 pieces.
The rest were Blood Pressure Monitor Digital, Andon- 27 pieces, Ultrasonic Pocket Doppler, 1.5v Sonotrax Basic – 9 pieces, Glucose meters – 54 pieces, Glucose meter stripes (50’s)- 500 pieces, Delivery set (used for facility-based delivery) – 27 pieces, Hb Testing System/URIT -12 – 36 pieces, Hb Test Stripes (50’s) – 800 pieces, Weighing Scale, Hanging (Salter) HOM- 27 pieces.
Some 96,374 individuals comprising pregnant/lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under five years in nine districts in the three regions are expected to benefit from the medicines and the medical equipment.
A total of 54 health facilities in the nine districts, namely Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, East Gonja, Tolon, Kumbungu, Nanumba South, Builsa South, Kassena-Nankana West and Kassena-Nankana North, are to benefit from the supplies.
They were donated by Children Believe, an international NGO, under the Championing Nutrition and Gender Equality (CHANGE) project, which is funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The CHANGE project is being implemented in partnership with Norsaac; the national implementing partner, amongst other governmental agencies.
The overall objective of the project is to improve nutrition for the poorest and most marginalised, especially women and adolescent girls.
Madam Esenam Kavi De Souza, the Country Director, Children Believe, speaking to hand over the medicines and the medical equipment to the authorities of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at the Regional Medical Stores in Tamale, said it was geared towards achieving the project’s commitment to improve women’s leadership and control resources for community and individual gender equitable nutrition practices.
The authorities of the GHS in the Upper East and Savannah Regions also received their share of the donated items in their respective regions.
Madam De Souza said the gesture followed assessments conducted with the GHS to identify the most critical healthcare needs in the targeted communities. She said the intervention was designed to ensure that the support would make a meaningful difference in healthcare delivery for the poorest and most marginalised populations in the targeted districts.
Dr Chrysantus Kubio, the Northern Regional Director, GHS, who received the items, said they would significantly improve health service delivery in the beneficiary districts in the region.
He said as part of the project, motorbikes and laptops were also supplied to the districts to facilitate the work of health personnel and improve data analysis for health services.
He lauded the project saying such partnerships were crucial in supporting vulnerable populations, who faced financial barriers to healthcare and expressed appreciation to Global Affairs Canada and the implementing partners for their support. —GNA
ZERO Maternal Mortality was recorded at Awutu District Health Service in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Dr Felix Gerald Kwaning Darbbey, the District Health Service Director, disclosed this in a presentation at the 2025 Annual Performance Hearing summit at Awutu Bereku.
The Health Directorate has 30 Community Health Planning and Services compounds, Two Health Centers, Two Polyclinics, five Maternity Homes and three Private Clinics working under it. He said the theme for the meeting: ‘Reboot, Re-Center, Drive Universal Health Coverage,’ encouraged them to think about their journey together, reassess their priorities and confidently work towards their goal for everyone in the district, support the Service and the mission of the World Health Organisation to ensure that people accessed healthcare efficiently without hindrances.
According to Dr Darbbey, 3,258 deliveries was recorded in 2023 against 2,932 in 2024 but increased to 3,280 in 2025. Anemia in pregnant women at 36 weeks reduced from 3,029 in 2023 to 2,815 in 2024 and increased to 2,973 in 2025, skilled deliveries reduced from 3,258 in 2023 to 2,923 in 2024 and increased to 3,280 in 2025, while Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) deliveries dived from 211 in 2023 to 74 in 2024 and further up to 61 in 2025.
According to him, Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendants decreased from 163 in 2023 to 75 in 2024 and increased to 193 in 2025, with clients insured cards increasing to 71,721 in 2023 as against 81,111 in 2024 and to 90,363 in 2025. Hypertension cases went up to 684 in 2024 from 595 in 2023 and rose to 765 in 2025. The Directorate recorded 392 accidents in 2023 against 373 in 2024 and 353 in 2025 at the OPD. 279 tested positive in 2023, 63 in 2024 and 39 in 2025.
Darbbey mentioned some of their major challenges to include deplorable nature of roads which hampered monitoring and supervision, inadequate office at the district level, yet still low reporting rate by private facilities, low skilled deliveries in most facilities, low recording of epidemic and other prone diseases.
“The results came about due to integrating some funded activities with other activities, improved behavioural change communication, mostly on skin diseases and advent of wellness clinics, quarterly TB case searches and mop-up exercises and contract tracing conducted as well as intensified monitoring and supervision at the sub-districts facilities.”
He said Antenatal Clinic attendance reduced from 6,094 to 5,600 in 2024 and increased slightly to 5,829 in 2025, teenage pregnancies reduced from 681 in 2023 to 563 in 2024 and increased to 603 in 2025, pregnant women who tested for HIV increased.
“To sustain our achievement we must have the courage to face issues, we must be honest, welcome new ideas, find new smarter ways, focus on what really matters at providing services, especially on mothers who need care, vulnerable children, teenagers and adolescents who need help in navigating the health issues that they encounter.”
He said to move forward they need to focus on strengthening primary healthcare services which is the solid base of primary healthcare delivery, encourage community involvement at ensuring that persons who had not yet enrolled on NHIS had access to free service delivery when they were sick. —GNA
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