The policy, aimed at strengthening emergency and respiratory care, follows persistent gaps in oxygen availability across parts of the country’s health system.

Dr Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, Director of the Institutional Care Division of the GHS, announced the measure on behalf of the Director-General at the 2026 Annual General Scientific Meeting of the Ghana Thoracic Society in Accra.

It was held on the theme: “The State of Respiratory Health in Ghana – Are We Prepared for Future Challenges?”

Dr Ofori-Boadu said medical oxygen should be regarded as an essential medicine rather than simply equipment, describing it as the most important respiratory therapy.

He said lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic had underscored the need for reliable oxygen systems across all levels of healthcare.

“The COVID-19 pandemic had taught the country a costly lesson about what happens when it runs out in the middle of the night, far from the nearest refill point,” he said.

Dr Ofori-Boadu said Ghana was passing the test on oxygen “in parts” and failing “in parts,” noting that the greatest gaps existed in facilities serving poorer communities.

He said the GHS would strengthen the respiratory component of its Primary and Comprehensive Emergency Care and Referrals training to include airway management, acute severe asthma, paediatric respiratory distress, oxygen delivery and blood gas interpretation, in line with the National Patient Referral Policy.

Dr Ofori-Boadu said the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, launched on April 15, 2026, in 150 underserved districts, was expected to increase early presentation of patients with respiratory distress, making dependable oxygen services at the first point of care increasingly important.

“Whether or not anyone calls it so, Free Primary Healthcare is the largest respiratory health intervention in Ghana’s recent history,” he said.

He said that the programme did not, by itself, ensure that health workers could recognise acute severe asthma, had access to functioning pulse oximeters or knew when to administer oxygen or refer patients appropriately.

Also addressing the meeting, Dr Emelia Udofia, a consultant physician, said demand for oxygen and other respiratory care services was increasing alongside a growing burden of respiratory disease associated largely with air pollution.

She identified vehicle emissions, industrial activities, open burning of refuse, construction dust and Saharan dust during the harmattan season as major contributors to air pollution in Ghana.

Dr Udofia said the health effects of air pollution depended on pollutant concentrations, the duration and frequency of exposure, and individual susceptibility, including age and pre-existing cardiovascular or respiratory conditions.

She said fine particulate matter could penetrate deep into the lungs, contributing to inflammation and respiratory disease, while nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds from vehicle emissions and poorly ventilated household cooking also posed health risks.

Dr Udofia said an analysis comparing air pollution data with respiratory disease trends found similar peaks around March and November, coinciding with the harmattan season.

She cautioned, however, that the observed association did not establish a causal relationship because other factors could also influence disease patterns.

Dr Udofia said climate change was also contributing to Ghana’s respiratory disease burden through rising temperatures, increased ground-level ozone, extreme weather events, changing allergen patterns and bushfire smoke.

She estimated that air pollution costs Ghana about 4.5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product each year, or approximately US$2.5 billion, through lost productivity, school and workplace absenteeism, increased hospital admissions and long-term disability.

“Investing in clean air and occupational safety is not only an intervention, it is a return on investment when you consider how much the country loses as a result of air pollution,” she said.

Dr Udofia said Ghana’s air quality monitoring network had expanded from about 15 monitoring stations to more than 60 but exposure levels among children, older persons and outdoor workers remained inadequately measured, limiting the evaluation of interventions and the development of evidence-based policies.

She called for greater investment in oxygen systems and diagnostic capacity, saying health facilities would continue to face increasing pressure unless the underlying drivers of air pollution were addressed.