Print Media Coverage of Malaria Stories Under Covid-19: Stakeholders’ Analysis for Health Communication in Ghana

Abstract

With three percent of global malaria cases and deaths, Ghana is among the fifteen highest malaria burden countries in the world. Malaria accounts for about 32.5% of all hospital consultations, 44% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths occurring in health facilities in the country. In children under 5 years, 41% of deaths are due to malaria. The government of Ghana at various levels and many international health and funding agencies continue to make efforts to improve the wellbeing of individuals and the larger society. However, scholars have continued to identify and emphasise the need to use the media as a complementary approach to advance the health sector and to achieve good health outcomes among members of society. This study examined the attention Ghanaian newspapers have given to malaria stories in their reportage under covid-19. The researcher performed content analysis on two daily newspapers (the Daily Graphic and Daily Guide) between March 2020 to December 2020. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods. Thus, a technique of in-depth interview was used to assess what editorial policy guided the reportage of Malaria stories by the selected print media houses and also ascertain experts' opinions on how to eliminate malaria generally in Ghana. Findings showed that the newspapers have not given adequate attention to malaria in their health coverage during covid-19. This, therefore, suggests that this may have contributed to the high prevalence of these diseases in Ghana. The study, therefore, recommends for more newspaper coverage of malaria as a disease as well as other media types in order to reduce their prevalence in Ghana. Again, the study recommends that stakeholders in the health sector feed the media with adequate information on malaria for better prominence.