The Unposted Environmental Health Officers and Assistants Association of Ghana has expressed condolences to families affected by recent floods in parts of the country, while urging government to urgently address long-standing employment concerns within the environmental health sector.
In a statement issued on July 1, 2026, the Association said it joins the nation in mourning lives lost and properties destroyed by the flooding, describing the situation as a painful reminder of persistent sanitation and environmental management challenges.
The group argued that the disaster highlights gaps in environmental health management, which it attributed in part to the long-standing neglect of Environmental Health professionals, commonly referred to as “tankas” within local assemblies.
According to the Asociation, over 4,000 Environmental Health graduates from hygiene training institutions have remained unemployed for more than five years, despite what it described as their readiness to support sanitation and public health efforts across the country.
It warned that the shortage of personnel has placed additional pressure on existing Environmental Health and Sanitation units, contributing to poor sanitation practices and environmental conditions that worsen flooding impacts.
The Association is therefore calling on the Presidency, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance to urgently recruit unemployed Environmental Health Officers to strengthen sanitation management systems nationwide.
It said integrating the trained professionals into the workforce would improve sanitation enforcement, enhance public health monitoring, and help reduce the risk of future flooding-related disasters.
