The Ghana Health Service (GHS) will distribute 80,000 pairs of protective footwear to health professionals implementing the Free Primary Healthcare programme, following a donation by Sanford, World Shoe Ltd. and Samaritan’s Feet Ghana.

The shoes are manufactured in Ghana using lightweight EVA foam and feature antimicrobial properties intended to help prevent infections. They are also designed to be biodegradable.

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the Service would work with its regional and district teams to ensure the shoes reach the intended beneficiaries.

“We will communicate with our regional and district teams and support a process that is organised, transparent and consistent with the purpose of the donation,” he said.

Vice President of Sanford World Clinic, Karoliina Slack, said the initiative was inspired by the sacrifices health workers make, often in facilities with limited equipment and infrastructure.

“We wanted to give them a piece of something, a piece of hope, something that they will wear when they go to work, and they remember that across the ocean, in the US, there are lots of people that think of them and value them and understand the sacrifices that they make every day,” she said.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of World Shoe and Samaritan’s Feet International, Manny Ohonme, said the donation demonstrates how locally manufactured products can address healthcare needs while creating jobs and supporting economic growth.

“Our solution is not just about providing the shoes. So the shoes that you saw here today, 80,000, means people are employed,” he said.

The organisations say they hope to build on the partnership to attract more stakeholders to support healthcare delivery and improve the well-being of health workers in Ghana.