Health policy and the fight against Covid-19, a narrative review of Ghana’s response

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect healthcare systems globally. Developed and underdeveloped countries continue to strive towards sustainable health policies that will help in containing the spread and at the same time managing positive cases. Global policy initiatives since the confirmation of the outbreak is guided by the recommendations from the World health organization. Countries, states, and territories develop their internal policies based on their individual capacities and resources available to them. This study aims to provide insight into Ghana’s health policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: This study is a narrative review of literature in which data was extracted from electronic databases such as Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science that published research articles on the initial policy response to Covid-19 in Ghana. A concurrent relative search was also conducted on the websites of the ministry of health Ghana and Ghana health service to aggregate and synthesize existing policies enacted in response to the Coronavirus pandemic within the first year of the outbreak. Discussion:Ghana’s health policy response towards Covid-19 was both proactive and reactive in nature. Policy changes occurred when cases started emerging in Ghana. The focus of health policy was mainly to preserve lives. Policy implementation was a collaborative effort between the public and private organizations. Conclusion:The government of Ghana through the ministry of health and the Ghana health service have remained at the forefront of providing policy directions to the Ghanaian people in the fight against Covid-19.