The Ghana Health Service directorate (GHS) in the northern region have received medical equipment
and consumables from government to enable it conduct a base line survey on water born and its related diseases in the region.
The equipment include 1 million condoms, 100,000 long lasting insecticidal nets, 1,000 mosquito larvicides, microscopes, Nucleopore filters, blood collection equipment, lancets boxes and disinfectants amongst others. The suppliers were presented to the authorities of GHS by the ministry of food and agriculture through the Northern Rural Growth Program (NRGP).
The GHS are expected to embark on awareness creation and sensitization of beneficiary’s communities on prevention and control of water related diseases and HIV/AIDS.The donation of the medical equipment forms part of health aspect of NRGP social and health safeguards in their warehouse and packhouses construction.
The equipment are expected to mitigate any unintended negative health impacts of the infrastructure facilities in the beneficiary communities.
The directorate has therefore been tasked to monitor health situation in the program area with emphasis on around the infrastructure and provide interventions to mitigate the effect of the disease.
Presenting the equipment to the GHS in Tamale, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and Member of Parliament for Mion ,Dr Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu expressed the hope that, this will improve collaboration between MOFA and GHS to enable the two state agencies could mitigate the unintended negative effects of the construction of infrastructure.
The Deputy National Program Manager of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Ghana Health Service Dr Benjamin Marfo on behalf of Director General of the service lauded MOFA move to consider the people and also partnering with them to deal with health problems.
He said many at times projects gear at alleviating the suffering normally don’t normally factor in unintended health impact in the society.
He was happy that NRGP and agriculture ministry consider the health impact of the people. GHS he said will conduct a base line survey on the incidence of water disease and will create awareness of the beneficiary communities on the prevention and control of water related diseases. They will also form health clubs in where the warehouses are.
Northern regional director health service said the collaboration between the ministry of agriculture, health and GHS will go a long way to improving the health of the project operational area.
Dr Jacob Mahama however said the directorate needs anti malaria drugs because malaria continue to be the number one disease affecting the people not only in Ghana but Africa as a whole.
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