Emergencies

Although Ghana is a relatively safe country, travelers should use common sense. One should know that the official emergency services tend to be limited, although steps to improve those services are underway. One cannot necessarily depend upon police arriving at the scene of a crime. There are not always ambulances available, and in the case of a fire, the fire department may be rendered useless by virtue of the fact that there may not be water available that day, or that the house is located on a street not accessible to motor vehicles.

On the other hand, healthcare is inexpensive and highly available, although the more expensive private practitioners and hospitals are preferable to those that are government run. It is advisable to assemble a list of potential healthcare providers, ambulance services and hospitals before coming to Ghana in order to be prepared for any unforeseen illness. Hotels in Ghana usually have a doctor on call and can recommend a hospital and pharmacy. Since malaria is an ever-present possibility for both residents and travelers, it is recommended that at the first onset of any suspicious symptoms, a traveler should go see a doctor. Often, residents of Ghana, when traveling outside the country, will take a course of anti-malarial drugs before returning to the country.

If water comes from the tap, one can be relatively sure that it has been treated and is safe. However, one should never under any circumstances drink water that has been pulled from any other source. Bottled water is always preferable. It is important to remember that often, even when the water is safe, one may have a slight reaction for the first 24 hours in another country.

One must accept a fairly high level of risk when going to the beach, particularly on public holidays, due to the fact that there are no lifeguards. The crowds can be formidable, and there are often drownings on public holidays.