Ghana’s Sanitation Crisis: Committee Sounds Alarm on Inadequate Environmental Health Workers
The Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources has presented a dire report to Parliament, highlighting the country’s critical shortage of environmental health workers.
Presenting the report, Chairperson Hon. John Kwabena Bless Oti stated that the committee’s visit to five regions revealed a stark reality, with one environmental health worker handling over 8,000 people, far exceeding the WHO standard of one worker to 700 people.
The committee found that almost all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) lack technical staff, with inadequate environmental service staffing being a major challenge. Hon. Oti emphasised that the situation is “terrible” and requires urgent attention.
Hon. Oti Bless called on the government to post environmental service graduates across the country to address the critical shortage of environmental health workers.
He emphasised that the lack of posting has been a major challenge, with graduates waiting for up to five years, and noted that the situation is hindering the country’s progress in sanitation management at the MMDAs.
Hon. Oti’s appeal follows a protest by environmental service graduates at the Ministry of Local Government, highlighting the urgent need for government action to address the issue.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
