Mr. Samuel Yao Atidzah, Executive Director of GOSANET Foundation, a health NGO working in the Adaklu district has said his organization was embarking on critical malaria prevention and immunization outreach in the Adaklu district.
He said these endeavors were not just tasks on a checklist but opportunities to help safeguard the health and well-being of the people in the district, especially the vulnerable.
Mr. Atidzah stated this at a one-day training workshop organised by GOSANET Foundation for Assembly-members, chiefs, opinion leaders and community-based health volunteers drawn from selected communities in the Adaklu district on malaria prevention.
He said in this regard they would continue to give intensive training to the volunteers who would serve as ‘frontline warriors in the fight against malaria and promotion of immunization.
‘These individuals will be equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills and resources necessary to educate, advocate and intervene effectively within our communities,’ he st
ated.
The Executive Director noted that through collaborative dialogue and shared vision they would forge alliances that amplify their impact and foster a culture of health consciousness.
He hoped through that collaboration they would work to ensure 100 percent availability of safe and efficacious vaccines and improve governance and management functions at all levels of the health sector.
It would also strengthen supervision, disease surveillance, monitoring and evaluation at all levels and improve sustainable financing for Universal Healthcare, he said.
Mr. Robert Dedi, Adaklu District Disease Control Officer said malaria cases in the district increased from 24.8 per cent in 2022 to 29.3 per cent in 2023.
He continued that 2776 children under five years tested positive to malaria representing 39.5 percent of OPD cases and 127 pregnant women tested positive to the disease representing 12.3 of OPD cases in the district in 2023.
Mr. Matthew Adam Ayamba, Adaklu District Director of Health said malaria was
among the top three OPD cases in the district and urged all stakeholders to join hands to eliminate it.
He said malaria could affect the brain of children and called for concerted effort to prevent them from mosquito bites.
He urged men to support their pregnant wives to attend ante and post-natal clinics and ensured that their babies were immunized.
During an open forum, the volunteers appealed for torch lights, raincoats, and wellington boots to enable them to work effectively and efficiently during the rainy season.
Source: Ghana News Agency