The Ministry of Health has advised Ghanaians to stay healthy and safe during this Christmas festivities to help achieve a healthy population for national development.

Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, Minister of Health, said the year 2015 looked promising and brighter, but one could create wealth for a healthier year only when there was health.

He asked people to be watchful of what they ate during the Christmas season, especially when it came to eating excess meat, saturated and trans fatty foods, too much salt, excess sugar in pastries, soft drinks, and over consumption of alcoholic beverages.

“We should still not forget to include more vegetables in our meals and eat a lot of fruits throughout the season. Let natural fruit juices replace your soft drinks,” he said.

Mr Agyemang-Mensah advised Ghanaians to drink at least eight glasses or six to eight sachets of water each day since it would flush toxins and waste from the body and thin blood for effective circulation.

He said it was necessary for everyone to have early dinner to prevent pot belly, obesity and related diseases.

“You may consider vegetable soup or fruits for your dinner for easy digestion,” he said.

He identified smoking and irresponsible drinking as acts that could severely cause harm to the human body, hence the need to quit such acts.

Speaking on sanitation, the sector minister urged all citizens to ensure they lived in a clean environment to avoid diseases.

He asked citizens to avoid direct contact with body fluids of persons by using protective materials like gloves, goggles and masks to prevent Ebola.

Mr Tony Goodman, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, said in an interview with GNA that the most important Christmas donation the sector could give to Ghanaians was quality health care and the establishment of necessary health centres at places that lacked them.

He mentioned Legon Teaching Hospital, which is capable of storing 620 beds to provide health care to the needy and train health care personnel as done in the Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals.

He indicated that the sector was constructing regional hospitals in the Upper East and West regions and that had reached a stage of creating hopes in residents in those regions.

Mr Goodman indicated that the sector was working hard to ensure that by 2015, Ghana would still not have recorded any Ebola case through constant sanitary education and provision of necessary facilities for the country.