Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has urged organisers of all public gatherings to provide handwashing facilities and hand sanitisers as part of measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Speaking on the AM Show on June 2, Mr Akandoh said “Every public gathering must make provision for handwashing stations,” he stressed.

“We are not saying public gatherings should not take place. What we are saying is that when people gather, whether in churches or elsewhere, organisers must ensure that handwashing stations or hand sanitisers are available.”

Mr Akandoh noted that diseases do not respect national boundaries, warning against complacency simply because no case has been detected in the country.

“That does not mean the threat is far from us because no disease requires a visa or a passport. Diseases know no borders,” he said.

He called for public cooperation with government efforts, stressing the need for citizens to rely only on official information from health authorities.

His comments come amid the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting calls for preventive measures despite no confirmed cases in Ghana.

“We have not detected any case. Let us not take information from unauthorised sources. Let us listen to the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service on any updates,” he stated.

According to him, the current recommendation is for all gatherings to ensure the availability of handwashing stations and hand sanitisers as a preventive measure.