As part of activities marking National Family Planning Week 2026, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), through its Family Health Division, brought health awareness directly to the grassroots with a health walk and a community outreach campaign across Accra.
The walk began at Palm Wine Junction, through the La Township, and extending towards Osu. Participants, including health workers and advocates, engaged residents and bystanders to promote healthy lifestyle choices and family planning awareness.
Alongside the walk, the Director of the Family Health Division, Dr. Kennedy T.C. Brightson, executed a direct market outreach. Dr. Brightson interacted with market women and traders, providing counseling on reproductive health and the various family planning choices available. Emphasizing informed and voluntary decision-making without coercion, he explained that during counseling sessions, clients are educated on their options so they can freely choose what works best for them.
During the outreach, team members distributed free condoms to residents, traders, and youth across La Township to encourage safe reproductive health practices and reduce barriers to access. Dr. Brightson stressed the importance of tracking field data, reminding outreach teams to capture accurate numbers on people counseled, service uptakes, and distribution metrics to inform future policy and logistics.
Addressing concerns about recent commodity shortages, Dr. Brightson noted that direct community engagements are crucial for addressing stock-out challenges, clearing up common myths and misconceptions, and reaching vulnerable groups, particularly adolescents and young people.