TWO speakers at yesterday's dialogue session of the National Policy Fair in Accra, have called for a system that would encourage sustainability of policies, programmes and projects even after a change of government.
They decried the situation where a change of government always went with a change of ideas because each political party wanted to identify itself with a particular policy, which it could boast as its own.
The speakers were the Chairman of the Policy Evaluation and Oversight Unit at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo, and the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey.
Their topic was: "From Conception to Policy: a critical appraisal of the Ghanaian situation".
Members of the public who were present at the session were allowed to ask questions to which the speakers took turns to respond.
Setting the tone for an interesting public discussion, Dr Aidoo pointed out that policies, programmes and projects did not mean the same, and explained that "a policy is simply what we should do, programmes are plans of action and steps, and projects are activities under execution".
Touching on the topic, the former Deputy Minister of Defence came out with a number of factors, which he said frustrated long-term policy formulation and implementation in developing countries.
Those factors, he noted, included weak political will, partisan party politics and its concomitant intransigent positions, as well as weak institutional capacity in the areas of personnel, finance and technology.
Others, according to Dr Aidoo, were the absence or low level inter-ministerial or cross-section co-operation and co-ordination, as well as lack of problem anticipation in policy formulation.
He expressed disquiet at the delays by public sector officials in responding to official requests and charged personnel of the policy planning monitoring and evaluation (PPME) units within the various ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) to be up and doing in spite of the challenges many of them faced.
Dr Aidoo maintained that if that unit worked effectively, information could easily be sourced to ensure effective policy formulation and implementation.
For his part, Dr Akwetey suggested to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to tap all important issues raised in the manifestos of all the political parties for the benefit of the people.
He said the NDPC could serve a very useful purpose, since it was not a political party and ,therefore, could use those ideas embedded in the manifestos without being accused of 'stealing ideas' from a particular political party.
He stated that the nation was always the loser if politicians decided to keep ideas to themselves till their party came to power, adding that such an attitude did not enhance the development of the country.
He stressed that ideas had a life of their own because of situation changes, adding that if one decided to keep an idea to himself till his political party came to power, it was possible that the idea would go stale and become useless.
Dr Akwetey commended the organisers of the Policy Fair, but said it would have been better if the various political parties had been involved to enable them to share ideas.
The broad theme of the five-day fair, which ends on Saturday, May 1, 2010, is “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”.
The fair is meant to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry to engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Present at yesterday’s dialogue session were the Minister of Defence, Lt General J.H. Smith (retd); the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni; the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo; the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi; the Deputy Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Hajia Hawuwa Gariba, and a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa.
The founder and Executive Director of IMANI Foundation, Mr Franklin Cudjo, served as the moderator.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Public needs more education on govt policies (spread)
A renowned economist, Mr Kwame Pianim, and a captain of industry, Nana Owusu Afari, have identified lack of public participation as part of the reason for the poor monitoring and assessment of public sector policies.
They argued that in cases where success indicators were defined, those indicators were not properly communicated to the beneficiaries to enable them to judge whether the objectives had been achieved or not.
Presenting papers at the National Policy Fair in Accra yesterday on the topic, “Bridging the Gap Between the Public and the Private Sectors in Policy Implementation”, the two agreed that a lot more successes could be achieved if the public, who were the main beneficiaries of government projects and programmes, were educated on such activities to enable them to monitor their success or otherwise.
Yesterday’s dialogue session was the second in a series being held on the wings of the five-day fair underway at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in Accra.
The broad theme of the fair is “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana” and it is meant to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry to engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Present at the function were the Minister of Environment and Science, Ms Sherry Ayettey; the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi; the Deputy Minister of Environment and Science, Dr Kofi Omane-Boamah; a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Chairman of the Policy Evaluation Unit at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo.
The Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, was the Chairman for the occasion.
Addressing the participants, Mr Pianim gave a number of reasons responsible for the gaps in policy implementation and identified lack of public involvement in policy formulation, failure to educate and inform the public on the rationale for the policies and their benefits to the public, as well as the opportunity cost of their implementation.
He touched on the lack of adequate institutional capacity in terms of public policy think tank to mount an effective and objective public debate to educate and inform the public on policy issues.
Mr Pianim, who declared his membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the function, suggested that political parties should be well resourced to enable them to undertake policy research to broaden their policy options and also be able to mount effective public debate to promote their policies and critique the policies of others.
He underscored the need to resource private sector trade associations and non-governmental organisations to participate in public policy dialogue with the government and its agencies to ensure results.
He, however, stated that “Perhaps the most critical source of gaps in policy implementation between the public and the private sectors is the Ghanaian cultural orientation that undermines any attempt at disciplined and orderly implementation of policies,” he declared.
For his part, the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu Afari, pointed out that when policies were developed, there was the need for a clear feedback mechanism to check whether they were functioning or not.
“The feedback mechanism should not be limited to the government functionaries implementing the policy; the direct beneficiaries should also be actively involved,” he stressed.
Nana Owusu Afari said when policies were kept unknown to others, the result was the situation where sometimes conflicting views on the success of government policy programmes were given by policy makers and the beneficiaries of those policies.
“For example, what are the success indicators of the National Health Insurance Scheme? How many people were projected to benefit from it before it would be considered a success? And within what time frame? If this information exists, has it been well communicated to the public?” he asked.
“I submit that when the citizenry is well informed about policies, their formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and the results achieved, governance is appreciated and our ‘better Ghana’ agenda is enhanced,” he observed.
As part of the dialogue, the public was allowed to ask questions and those at the high table took turns to answer them.
There was high participation in the fair where 110 MDAs have mounted their stands, creating the platform for them to hold discussions with the public.
They argued that in cases where success indicators were defined, those indicators were not properly communicated to the beneficiaries to enable them to judge whether the objectives had been achieved or not.
Presenting papers at the National Policy Fair in Accra yesterday on the topic, “Bridging the Gap Between the Public and the Private Sectors in Policy Implementation”, the two agreed that a lot more successes could be achieved if the public, who were the main beneficiaries of government projects and programmes, were educated on such activities to enable them to monitor their success or otherwise.
Yesterday’s dialogue session was the second in a series being held on the wings of the five-day fair underway at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in Accra.
The broad theme of the fair is “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana” and it is meant to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry to engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Present at the function were the Minister of Environment and Science, Ms Sherry Ayettey; the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi; the Deputy Minister of Environment and Science, Dr Kofi Omane-Boamah; a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Chairman of the Policy Evaluation Unit at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo.
The Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, was the Chairman for the occasion.
Addressing the participants, Mr Pianim gave a number of reasons responsible for the gaps in policy implementation and identified lack of public involvement in policy formulation, failure to educate and inform the public on the rationale for the policies and their benefits to the public, as well as the opportunity cost of their implementation.
He touched on the lack of adequate institutional capacity in terms of public policy think tank to mount an effective and objective public debate to educate and inform the public on policy issues.
Mr Pianim, who declared his membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the function, suggested that political parties should be well resourced to enable them to undertake policy research to broaden their policy options and also be able to mount effective public debate to promote their policies and critique the policies of others.
He underscored the need to resource private sector trade associations and non-governmental organisations to participate in public policy dialogue with the government and its agencies to ensure results.
He, however, stated that “Perhaps the most critical source of gaps in policy implementation between the public and the private sectors is the Ghanaian cultural orientation that undermines any attempt at disciplined and orderly implementation of policies,” he declared.
For his part, the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu Afari, pointed out that when policies were developed, there was the need for a clear feedback mechanism to check whether they were functioning or not.
“The feedback mechanism should not be limited to the government functionaries implementing the policy; the direct beneficiaries should also be actively involved,” he stressed.
Nana Owusu Afari said when policies were kept unknown to others, the result was the situation where sometimes conflicting views on the success of government policy programmes were given by policy makers and the beneficiaries of those policies.
“For example, what are the success indicators of the National Health Insurance Scheme? How many people were projected to benefit from it before it would be considered a success? And within what time frame? If this information exists, has it been well communicated to the public?” he asked.
“I submit that when the citizenry is well informed about policies, their formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and the results achieved, governance is appreciated and our ‘better Ghana’ agenda is enhanced,” he observed.
As part of the dialogue, the public was allowed to ask questions and those at the high table took turns to answer them.
There was high participation in the fair where 110 MDAs have mounted their stands, creating the platform for them to hold discussions with the public.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
HISTORIC FAIR OPENS-To get all involved in 'Better Ghana' agenda.
A HISTORIC National Policy Fair designed to provide a platform for Ghanaians to get involved in the government’s ‘better Ghana’ agenda was opened by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, in Accra yesterday.
The five-day event, on the theme, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”, is to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Consequently, stands have been provided at the Accra International Conference (AICC), the venue of the fair, for ministries, some government departments and agencies where individuals could make inquiries about issues involving those institutions and also make suggestions.
The fair, an annual affair to be replicated in all the regions, is under the auspices of the Ministry of Information.
Some of the ministries with stands on the premises of the AICC are the ministries of Transport, Energy, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Finance and Economic Planning, Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture, Women and Children’s Affairs, as well as departments and agencies under them.
Present at the opening ceremony were sector ministers, their deputies, service commanders, Members of Parliament (MPs), heads of departments and agencies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, members of the Council of State, traditional leaders, the clergy and the general public.
As part of the event, experts will be engaged in the days ahead to share their thoughts and insights on topics such as ‘Bridging the gap between the public and the private sectors in the policy formulation and implementation circle: A critical appraisal of the Ghanaian situation’; ‘The importance of a policy fair and how it can expedite development’, ‘The incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development’.
Opening the fair, Mr Mahama stressed that the initiative was underscored by the conviction that the enterprise of nation-building involved the collective effort of its entire population.
“To this end, the government expects to use this Policy Fair to further open up governance and get the ordinary Ghanaian to be part of the development process of this country,” he noted.
He said the opening of MDAs to the public would help demystify the art of governance by narrowing the interface between public sector institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations with the ordinary citizenry, thereby making government more interactive and relevant to every Ghanaian.
He observed that as a government, some of the policies the NDC had introduced which were of note included the elimination of 3,947 under-tree schools, free school uniforms for pupils in deprived communities and the decision to procure and manufacture them locally, free exercise books for pupils in deprived communities, for which more than 42 million had already been distributed, special scholarships for maths and science students, local content policy for the oil and gas sector, the hedging of petroleum pricing and the Youth in Agriculture programme.
Mr Mahama observed that every policy must have at its core an improvement in the living conditions and welfare of the people.
“We must also ensure that at all material moments, the national interest is paramount in the policies we formulate and implement. The public interest will, therefore, continue to be the driving principle behind any policy we initiate for implementation,” he stated.
For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, said it was the hope of the ministry that the fair would help it collate information on government policies, projects and programmes, as well as deepen public consultation.
“In this way, the appropriate feedback from the public to the government will be achieved to afford the government the opportunity to formulate an acceptable development agenda for the nation,” he stated.
The Chairman for the occasion, Mr Paul Victor Obeng, said the fair had the objective of encouraging the people to participate in the ‘better Ghana’ agenda being implemented by the Mills administration.
Mr Obeng, who is the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), expressed his gratitude to the organisers of the event, adding that it was part of the development planning programme of the country and called on all Ghanaians to take advantage of it.
The five-day event, on the theme, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”, is to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Consequently, stands have been provided at the Accra International Conference (AICC), the venue of the fair, for ministries, some government departments and agencies where individuals could make inquiries about issues involving those institutions and also make suggestions.
The fair, an annual affair to be replicated in all the regions, is under the auspices of the Ministry of Information.
Some of the ministries with stands on the premises of the AICC are the ministries of Transport, Energy, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Finance and Economic Planning, Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture, Women and Children’s Affairs, as well as departments and agencies under them.
Present at the opening ceremony were sector ministers, their deputies, service commanders, Members of Parliament (MPs), heads of departments and agencies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, members of the Council of State, traditional leaders, the clergy and the general public.
As part of the event, experts will be engaged in the days ahead to share their thoughts and insights on topics such as ‘Bridging the gap between the public and the private sectors in the policy formulation and implementation circle: A critical appraisal of the Ghanaian situation’; ‘The importance of a policy fair and how it can expedite development’, ‘The incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development’.
Opening the fair, Mr Mahama stressed that the initiative was underscored by the conviction that the enterprise of nation-building involved the collective effort of its entire population.
“To this end, the government expects to use this Policy Fair to further open up governance and get the ordinary Ghanaian to be part of the development process of this country,” he noted.
He said the opening of MDAs to the public would help demystify the art of governance by narrowing the interface between public sector institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations with the ordinary citizenry, thereby making government more interactive and relevant to every Ghanaian.
He observed that as a government, some of the policies the NDC had introduced which were of note included the elimination of 3,947 under-tree schools, free school uniforms for pupils in deprived communities and the decision to procure and manufacture them locally, free exercise books for pupils in deprived communities, for which more than 42 million had already been distributed, special scholarships for maths and science students, local content policy for the oil and gas sector, the hedging of petroleum pricing and the Youth in Agriculture programme.
Mr Mahama observed that every policy must have at its core an improvement in the living conditions and welfare of the people.
“We must also ensure that at all material moments, the national interest is paramount in the policies we formulate and implement. The public interest will, therefore, continue to be the driving principle behind any policy we initiate for implementation,” he stated.
For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, said it was the hope of the ministry that the fair would help it collate information on government policies, projects and programmes, as well as deepen public consultation.
“In this way, the appropriate feedback from the public to the government will be achieved to afford the government the opportunity to formulate an acceptable development agenda for the nation,” he stated.
The Chairman for the occasion, Mr Paul Victor Obeng, said the fair had the objective of encouraging the people to participate in the ‘better Ghana’ agenda being implemented by the Mills administration.
Mr Obeng, who is the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), expressed his gratitude to the organisers of the event, adding that it was part of the development planning programme of the country and called on all Ghanaians to take advantage of it.
“Counting Malaria Out”
THE World Malaria Day which falls on April 25, each year was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 as a day for recognising the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Counting Malaria Out”.
The day provides an opportunity for countries in the affected regions to learn from one another’s experiences and support one another’s efforts; for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria; for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and the general public; and for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.
Worldwide, malaria causes an estimated one million deaths each year and nearly 90 per cent of these deaths occur among young children in Africa, which include Ghana.
As part of the celebration, the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), under the umbrella of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other health related organisations,embarked on a series of programmes throughout the country.
At the Ghana Health Service (GHS) monthly forum organised in Accra to commemorate the day,the Medical Entomologist of NMCP, Dr Aba (Mrs) Baffoe-Wilmot said Ghana was still at the control stage of malaria programme as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
She explained that was the first step in the fight against the disease,adding that the second stage was the pre-elimination and then elimination, while the third stage was eradication, which must cover all areas in the world where malaria existed.
She pointed out that the country was doing well in the control of the disease because recorded cases at the Out Patient Department had reduced from 49.5 per cent in 2001 to 30.0 per cent in 2009.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot identified some challenges facing the fight against the disease and mentioned low Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) usage, although ownership of the product was high.
Other setbacks according to her, were wrong diagnosis, leading to wrong treatment and over-consumption of anti-malaria medicine; the continuous prescription of monotherapy by health professionals, as well as ignorance and misconceptions about the disease.
She said current strategies to control malaria included indoor residual spraying, environmental management and targeted larviciding, ITN for children under five and pregnant women, free distribution of the nets during mass immunisation days and Directly Observed Therapy for pregnant women.
On treatment strategies, Dr Bafoe-Wilmot noted that treatment had been largely based on presumption diagnosis, but now the programme was encouraging diagnosis by microscopy before treatment and drugs for simple and uncomplicated malaria, which include; Aetesunate-amodiaquine; artermether-lumefantrine and Dihydro-artsemisinin pieraquine.
To commemorate the day, a release from the Roll Back Malaria initiative indicated that approximately, half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income countries.
It pointed out that the disease infected more than 500 million people per year and killed more than one million. The burden of malaria is heaviest in sub-Saharan Africa but the disease also afflicts Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Europe.
A release from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicated that April 25 was a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world.
For his part,the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, said this year's World Malaria Day marked a critical moment in time because “the international malaria community has less than a year to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria”.
The day provides an opportunity for countries in the affected regions to learn from one another’s experiences and support one another’s efforts; for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria; for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and the general public; and for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.
Worldwide, malaria causes an estimated one million deaths each year and nearly 90 per cent of these deaths occur among young children in Africa, which include Ghana.
As part of the celebration, the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), under the umbrella of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other health related organisations,embarked on a series of programmes throughout the country.
At the Ghana Health Service (GHS) monthly forum organised in Accra to commemorate the day,the Medical Entomologist of NMCP, Dr Aba (Mrs) Baffoe-Wilmot said Ghana was still at the control stage of malaria programme as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
She explained that was the first step in the fight against the disease,adding that the second stage was the pre-elimination and then elimination, while the third stage was eradication, which must cover all areas in the world where malaria existed.
She pointed out that the country was doing well in the control of the disease because recorded cases at the Out Patient Department had reduced from 49.5 per cent in 2001 to 30.0 per cent in 2009.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot identified some challenges facing the fight against the disease and mentioned low Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) usage, although ownership of the product was high.
Other setbacks according to her, were wrong diagnosis, leading to wrong treatment and over-consumption of anti-malaria medicine; the continuous prescription of monotherapy by health professionals, as well as ignorance and misconceptions about the disease.
She said current strategies to control malaria included indoor residual spraying, environmental management and targeted larviciding, ITN for children under five and pregnant women, free distribution of the nets during mass immunisation days and Directly Observed Therapy for pregnant women.
On treatment strategies, Dr Bafoe-Wilmot noted that treatment had been largely based on presumption diagnosis, but now the programme was encouraging diagnosis by microscopy before treatment and drugs for simple and uncomplicated malaria, which include; Aetesunate-amodiaquine; artermether-lumefantrine and Dihydro-artsemisinin pieraquine.
To commemorate the day, a release from the Roll Back Malaria initiative indicated that approximately, half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income countries.
It pointed out that the disease infected more than 500 million people per year and killed more than one million. The burden of malaria is heaviest in sub-Saharan Africa but the disease also afflicts Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Europe.
A release from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicated that April 25 was a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world.
For his part,the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, said this year's World Malaria Day marked a critical moment in time because “the international malaria community has less than a year to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria”.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Farmers to plant now- In southern sector
FARMERS in the southern sector of the country have been advised to plant their crops between now and mid-May to take full advantage of this year’s farming season.
According to a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Yaw Effah-Baafi, it was likely that this year’s main rainfall period would not go beyond late August.
“To be on the safer side, planting should be done by late April and end by the middle of May,” he stressed.
He said reports from the Ghana Meteorological Agency indicated that this year’s rains would not be as good as last year’s in terms of aggregate.
He said some farmers who planted some crops during the first rains in March this year have had most of the plants withered due to lack of water.
The deputy minister, however, said the government had plans to ensure that the country had enough foodstuffs and so it had acquired 60,000 hectares of land under the Youth-in-Agriculture (YIA) programme for crop cultivation.
He said the lands had been acquired in all the 170 districts of the country through the assistance of the district assemblies, traditional rulers and landlords, adding that a number of youth had been registered to engage in the project.
Mr Effah-Baafi stated that last year, 14,000 hectares of land was targeted under the programme and said 12,500-hectare cultivation was achieved.
He said the ministry was in the process of providing tractor services for the farmers and providing them with improved seeds, fertilisers and other chemicals to aid them.
He said in addition to irrigation projects to provide water for all-year-round farming, those lands were acquired mostly along rivers and streams to ensure adequate water supply.
He gave the assurance that the excess produce from farmers throughout the country would be bought by the National Food Buffer Stock Company, adding that warehouses and silos doted all over the country were being rehabilitated for that purpose.
The deputy minister also stated that those who were assisted under the YIA programme would be made to pay back in kind at prices stipulated by the National Food Buffer Stock Company, adding that the purchases would be done in such a way that the farmers would not lose.
He said the company would be responsible for the collection of the farm produce, adding that “beneficiaries will pay back without interest”.
He said to encourage Ghanaian farmers, the government would continue to provide them with subsidised fertilisers and give them the opportunity to purchase tractors at a 30 per cent reduced price.
According to a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Yaw Effah-Baafi, it was likely that this year’s main rainfall period would not go beyond late August.
“To be on the safer side, planting should be done by late April and end by the middle of May,” he stressed.
He said reports from the Ghana Meteorological Agency indicated that this year’s rains would not be as good as last year’s in terms of aggregate.
He said some farmers who planted some crops during the first rains in March this year have had most of the plants withered due to lack of water.
The deputy minister, however, said the government had plans to ensure that the country had enough foodstuffs and so it had acquired 60,000 hectares of land under the Youth-in-Agriculture (YIA) programme for crop cultivation.
He said the lands had been acquired in all the 170 districts of the country through the assistance of the district assemblies, traditional rulers and landlords, adding that a number of youth had been registered to engage in the project.
Mr Effah-Baafi stated that last year, 14,000 hectares of land was targeted under the programme and said 12,500-hectare cultivation was achieved.
He said the ministry was in the process of providing tractor services for the farmers and providing them with improved seeds, fertilisers and other chemicals to aid them.
He said in addition to irrigation projects to provide water for all-year-round farming, those lands were acquired mostly along rivers and streams to ensure adequate water supply.
He gave the assurance that the excess produce from farmers throughout the country would be bought by the National Food Buffer Stock Company, adding that warehouses and silos doted all over the country were being rehabilitated for that purpose.
The deputy minister also stated that those who were assisted under the YIA programme would be made to pay back in kind at prices stipulated by the National Food Buffer Stock Company, adding that the purchases would be done in such a way that the farmers would not lose.
He said the company would be responsible for the collection of the farm produce, adding that “beneficiaries will pay back without interest”.
He said to encourage Ghanaian farmers, the government would continue to provide them with subsidised fertilisers and give them the opportunity to purchase tractors at a 30 per cent reduced price.
Cost of medicines for effective Malaria control to reduce
GHANA will, by August this year, introduce a system that will significantly reduce the cost of medicines for the effective treatment of malaria from GH¢10 to GH¢3 for the next two years.
Other countries to benefit from the initiative are Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
Dubbed, Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMF-m), the project is an innovative financing mechanism to expand access to affordable Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for the treatment of malaria, thereby saving lives and reducing the use of inappropriate treatment.
The initiative will facilitate the increased use of ACT by reducing the cost of those drugs in malaria-endemic countries and also ensuring that additional activities are carried out to assist in the safe and effective implementation of AFM-m.
This was made known in Accra when the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes Voices for Malaria-free Future Project organised a day’s briefing session for journalists as part of this year’s World Malaria Day.
Addressing the participants, a Programme Officer of the NMCP (Northern Zone), Mr Sylvester Segbaya, said the initiative was to help people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive but effective recommended anti-malaria treatment.
He said it was also to promote the use of effective anti-malaria drugs and push away ineffective medicines from the market by reducing the consumer prices of effective medicines to an affordable level.
Mr Segbaya said AFM-m had the potential of introducing in-country supporting interventions to ensure that those suffering from malaria benefited from the reduced price.
He stated that progress towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of AFM-m in the country would be measured by increased affordability, availability and use of ACT, as well as pushing away from the market Arteminisin mono-therapies which were less effective and had the potential of causing drug resistance.
Speaking on the topic, “Adopting Effective Malaria Medication in Ghana”, an official of the NMCP, Mr James Frimpong, stated that Ghana moved away from the use of the mono-therapy malaria medicines it was using previously to the ACT because research had indicated that the ACT aided the rapid reduction in the parasite load in the blood and it had fewer side effects, if any.
The Communication Officer of the NMCP, Mr Kwame D. Gakpey, said as part the country’s efforts to control malaria, many strategies had been put in place, including behavioural change communication strategy to guide the development, implementation and monitoring of activities to ensure success.
For his part, the Country Director of the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes Voices for Malaria-free Future Project, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, urged journalists to support fully the effort to control malaria, since the disease affected the achievement of almost all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Chairperson for the workshop, who is also the Programme Manager of the NMCP, Dr Mrs Constance Bart-Plange, reiterated the need for doctors not to conclude that all fever cases were malaria but they must conduct the appropriate testing before treatment.
The World Malaria Day, which falls on April 25 each year, was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007. It is a day for recognising the global effort to provide effective control for malaria.
In a related development, the Ministry of Health is to set up a committee to probe the alleged malfeasance that characterised the withdrawal of expired drugs from health facilities in the country, reports Seth J. Bokpe.
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, made this known when addressing the opening ceremony of the Ghana Health Summit 2010 and the launch of the World Malaria Day 2010.
He said investigations conducted into the matter indicated that more often than not drugs that were said to have expired and which had to be withdrawn from the warehouses were found on shelves in pharmacy shops, with nothing to show that the drugs had expired.
He said persons found culpable would be dealt with to serve as a deterrent to anyone whose action undermined the health sector and to also save the country the millions of cedis that went down the drain.
The Ghana Health Summit is an annual conference under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and donor partners and it takes stock of developments in the health sector, review performances and make recommendations to improve the health sector.
He said the mismanagement that had become the bane of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) called for a benchmark for public spending to ensure that the policy was of benefit to the people.
The Health Minister pledged the government’s commitment to the one-time premium for health insurance in the country, which he indicated would be implemented.
He said even though the funding gap remained the greatest challenge to implementing the one-time premium, avenues, including uprooting corruption, would ensure that the country achieved the needed results.
Dr Kunbour said more midwives would be trained as part of measures to improve the midwifery deficit in the country.
He called for holistic and co-ordinated interventions to deal with challenges posed by malaria to the health of the people and the economy.
According to the Ghana Health Service, 8,200 malaria cases are reported in Ghana daily, with 4,500 deaths, 1,500 under-five deaths, while 60 pregnant women die from the disease annually.
It has been estimated that the annual economic burden in Africa is $1.7 billion, while a single bout of malaria cost a sum equivalent of over 10 working days in Africa.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Stig Barlyng, noted that even though the country had achieved a lot in the health sector over the past few years, the doctor-patient ratio in the northern part of the country needed to be worked on to curtail the disparities that characterised the distribution of doctors.
He stressed the need for the leadership of the MoH and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and its agencies to establish a new policy framework adapted to the changing dynamics of drug procurement and distribution, funds collection and reimbursement across the multiple agencies and the levels of the health system.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, who chaired the function, called for co-ordinated efforts to deal with infant and maternal mortality in the country to save lives.
In yet another development, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, has stated that the fight against malaria can be won if researchers and scientists go beyond the “ivory tower” publications and simplified their findings for the public good.
At a seminar for media practitioners as part of activities to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, he said to achieve that, it was imperative for scientists to acquire communications skills and for journalists who were interested in science to specialise in it.
“Scientists should no longer feel comfortable just by publishing their results and papers in ’Ivory Tower’ bulletins and journalists can no longer be comfortable with neutral reporting on events. We must both go beyond our comfort zones and beyond the mundane calls of our professional duties,” he said.
The seminar, which was organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), in collaboration with the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Population and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH) network, the Dodowa Health Research Centre and the Malaria Clinical Trial Alliance (MCTA), brought together science journalists from the print and the electronic media.
Speaking on the topic: “Linking science with journalism”, Dr Sodzi-Tettey said when scientists were able to acquire communication skills, they would be able to interpret their findings in a way that would make them easier for journalists to understand, while a journalist with a scientific background would be able to write in simple language for the ordinary person to understand.
He said it was the duty of journalists to ensure that there was behavioural change among their audience, saying that journalists were key to ensuring that people understood what they put across.
The Programme Manager of the NMCP, Dr Bart-Plange, in an update on malaria control in Ghana, said malaria continued to be one of the leading causes of death among children.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Dr Alex Dodoo, called on journalists to ensure that they were always abreast of current trends so that they could inform and educate their communities effectively.
The Executive Director of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka, called on journalists to ensure that they put issues across that would hold their leaders accountable.
She challenged journalists to ask critical questions that would help put the government on its toes.
Other countries to benefit from the initiative are Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
Dubbed, Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMF-m), the project is an innovative financing mechanism to expand access to affordable Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for the treatment of malaria, thereby saving lives and reducing the use of inappropriate treatment.
The initiative will facilitate the increased use of ACT by reducing the cost of those drugs in malaria-endemic countries and also ensuring that additional activities are carried out to assist in the safe and effective implementation of AFM-m.
This was made known in Accra when the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes Voices for Malaria-free Future Project organised a day’s briefing session for journalists as part of this year’s World Malaria Day.
Addressing the participants, a Programme Officer of the NMCP (Northern Zone), Mr Sylvester Segbaya, said the initiative was to help people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive but effective recommended anti-malaria treatment.
He said it was also to promote the use of effective anti-malaria drugs and push away ineffective medicines from the market by reducing the consumer prices of effective medicines to an affordable level.
Mr Segbaya said AFM-m had the potential of introducing in-country supporting interventions to ensure that those suffering from malaria benefited from the reduced price.
He stated that progress towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of AFM-m in the country would be measured by increased affordability, availability and use of ACT, as well as pushing away from the market Arteminisin mono-therapies which were less effective and had the potential of causing drug resistance.
Speaking on the topic, “Adopting Effective Malaria Medication in Ghana”, an official of the NMCP, Mr James Frimpong, stated that Ghana moved away from the use of the mono-therapy malaria medicines it was using previously to the ACT because research had indicated that the ACT aided the rapid reduction in the parasite load in the blood and it had fewer side effects, if any.
The Communication Officer of the NMCP, Mr Kwame D. Gakpey, said as part the country’s efforts to control malaria, many strategies had been put in place, including behavioural change communication strategy to guide the development, implementation and monitoring of activities to ensure success.
For his part, the Country Director of the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes Voices for Malaria-free Future Project, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, urged journalists to support fully the effort to control malaria, since the disease affected the achievement of almost all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Chairperson for the workshop, who is also the Programme Manager of the NMCP, Dr Mrs Constance Bart-Plange, reiterated the need for doctors not to conclude that all fever cases were malaria but they must conduct the appropriate testing before treatment.
The World Malaria Day, which falls on April 25 each year, was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007. It is a day for recognising the global effort to provide effective control for malaria.
In a related development, the Ministry of Health is to set up a committee to probe the alleged malfeasance that characterised the withdrawal of expired drugs from health facilities in the country, reports Seth J. Bokpe.
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, made this known when addressing the opening ceremony of the Ghana Health Summit 2010 and the launch of the World Malaria Day 2010.
He said investigations conducted into the matter indicated that more often than not drugs that were said to have expired and which had to be withdrawn from the warehouses were found on shelves in pharmacy shops, with nothing to show that the drugs had expired.
He said persons found culpable would be dealt with to serve as a deterrent to anyone whose action undermined the health sector and to also save the country the millions of cedis that went down the drain.
The Ghana Health Summit is an annual conference under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and donor partners and it takes stock of developments in the health sector, review performances and make recommendations to improve the health sector.
He said the mismanagement that had become the bane of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) called for a benchmark for public spending to ensure that the policy was of benefit to the people.
The Health Minister pledged the government’s commitment to the one-time premium for health insurance in the country, which he indicated would be implemented.
He said even though the funding gap remained the greatest challenge to implementing the one-time premium, avenues, including uprooting corruption, would ensure that the country achieved the needed results.
Dr Kunbour said more midwives would be trained as part of measures to improve the midwifery deficit in the country.
He called for holistic and co-ordinated interventions to deal with challenges posed by malaria to the health of the people and the economy.
According to the Ghana Health Service, 8,200 malaria cases are reported in Ghana daily, with 4,500 deaths, 1,500 under-five deaths, while 60 pregnant women die from the disease annually.
It has been estimated that the annual economic burden in Africa is $1.7 billion, while a single bout of malaria cost a sum equivalent of over 10 working days in Africa.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Stig Barlyng, noted that even though the country had achieved a lot in the health sector over the past few years, the doctor-patient ratio in the northern part of the country needed to be worked on to curtail the disparities that characterised the distribution of doctors.
He stressed the need for the leadership of the MoH and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and its agencies to establish a new policy framework adapted to the changing dynamics of drug procurement and distribution, funds collection and reimbursement across the multiple agencies and the levels of the health system.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, who chaired the function, called for co-ordinated efforts to deal with infant and maternal mortality in the country to save lives.
In yet another development, Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho reports that the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, has stated that the fight against malaria can be won if researchers and scientists go beyond the “ivory tower” publications and simplified their findings for the public good.
At a seminar for media practitioners as part of activities to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, he said to achieve that, it was imperative for scientists to acquire communications skills and for journalists who were interested in science to specialise in it.
“Scientists should no longer feel comfortable just by publishing their results and papers in ’Ivory Tower’ bulletins and journalists can no longer be comfortable with neutral reporting on events. We must both go beyond our comfort zones and beyond the mundane calls of our professional duties,” he said.
The seminar, which was organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), in collaboration with the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Population and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH) network, the Dodowa Health Research Centre and the Malaria Clinical Trial Alliance (MCTA), brought together science journalists from the print and the electronic media.
Speaking on the topic: “Linking science with journalism”, Dr Sodzi-Tettey said when scientists were able to acquire communication skills, they would be able to interpret their findings in a way that would make them easier for journalists to understand, while a journalist with a scientific background would be able to write in simple language for the ordinary person to understand.
He said it was the duty of journalists to ensure that there was behavioural change among their audience, saying that journalists were key to ensuring that people understood what they put across.
The Programme Manager of the NMCP, Dr Bart-Plange, in an update on malaria control in Ghana, said malaria continued to be one of the leading causes of death among children.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Dr Alex Dodoo, called on journalists to ensure that they were always abreast of current trends so that they could inform and educate their communities effectively.
The Executive Director of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka, called on journalists to ensure that they put issues across that would hold their leaders accountable.
She challenged journalists to ask critical questions that would help put the government on its toes.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
110 Trucks impounded-For carrying illegal timber
One hundred and ten trucks of lumber from illegal timber operators have been impounded by the National Timber Monitoring Team (NTMT) in Accra between January and April this year.
The team, which comprises military and forestry personnel, has the objective of clamping down on illegal chainsaw operators whose activities pose a serious threat to the country's forest resources.
Speaking to a section of the media in Accra yesterday, the National Co-ordinator of the NTMT, Mr G.N.A. Agana, said 27 of the vehicles were impounded in January this year, 34 in February, 29 in March, while 20 had so far been impounded in April.
He said the latest arrest, which involved five articulated trucks of sawn timber, took place at Nsawam around 12.30 a.m. on Saturday.
Some of the vehicles which have been impounded and parked on the premises of the Forest Services Division (FSD) near the Achimota Forest have the registration numbers AS 799 C, ER 468 U, AW 1248 Z and GE 5198 Z.
Mr Agana explained that the team, which had been divided into two groups, usually operated along the routes leading to Accra from the Central and the Eastern regions where many of those vehicles came from.
He said when the vehicles were impounded, the drivers usually ran away and when the vehicle owners came to inquire about their vehicles, they were either sent to the police for prosecution or asked to pay the penalty before they could get back their vehicles, while the lumber in the vehicles was always confiscated and sold to state institutions and public servants who applied to buy it.
Mr Agana said the penalty for impounded trucks ranged from GH¢600 to GH¢2,000, depending on the size of the truck.
For his part, the Director of Operations of the FSD, Mr Alex A. Boadu, said the NTMT, which was inaugurated in July 2009, was in addition to other teams operating in the regions and districts, mostly in areas where there were forest reserves.
He said it was the aim of the team to do all it could to clamp down on illegal chainsaw operations and appealed to the public to provide it with information.
He added that since there was not enough personnel to check the activities of those criminals in the forest reserves, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had empowered the monitoring team to monitor the situation on the highways and arrest offenders.
To help check those criminal activities, Mr Boadu said there was the need to mete out stiffer punishment on offenders and called for another look to be taken at Act 457 of 1998 which dealt with such matters.
The team, which comprises military and forestry personnel, has the objective of clamping down on illegal chainsaw operators whose activities pose a serious threat to the country's forest resources.
Speaking to a section of the media in Accra yesterday, the National Co-ordinator of the NTMT, Mr G.N.A. Agana, said 27 of the vehicles were impounded in January this year, 34 in February, 29 in March, while 20 had so far been impounded in April.
He said the latest arrest, which involved five articulated trucks of sawn timber, took place at Nsawam around 12.30 a.m. on Saturday.
Some of the vehicles which have been impounded and parked on the premises of the Forest Services Division (FSD) near the Achimota Forest have the registration numbers AS 799 C, ER 468 U, AW 1248 Z and GE 5198 Z.
Mr Agana explained that the team, which had been divided into two groups, usually operated along the routes leading to Accra from the Central and the Eastern regions where many of those vehicles came from.
He said when the vehicles were impounded, the drivers usually ran away and when the vehicle owners came to inquire about their vehicles, they were either sent to the police for prosecution or asked to pay the penalty before they could get back their vehicles, while the lumber in the vehicles was always confiscated and sold to state institutions and public servants who applied to buy it.
Mr Agana said the penalty for impounded trucks ranged from GH¢600 to GH¢2,000, depending on the size of the truck.
For his part, the Director of Operations of the FSD, Mr Alex A. Boadu, said the NTMT, which was inaugurated in July 2009, was in addition to other teams operating in the regions and districts, mostly in areas where there were forest reserves.
He said it was the aim of the team to do all it could to clamp down on illegal chainsaw operations and appealed to the public to provide it with information.
He added that since there was not enough personnel to check the activities of those criminals in the forest reserves, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had empowered the monitoring team to monitor the situation on the highways and arrest offenders.
To help check those criminal activities, Mr Boadu said there was the need to mete out stiffer punishment on offenders and called for another look to be taken at Act 457 of 1998 which dealt with such matters.
"Stop giving tablets meant for adults to children’
Sat. April 17, 2010
Some parents and health care workers often use fractions of tablets, meant for adults, for children when they are sick. This is done by crushing tablets or dissolving portions of capsules in water for sick children.
The practice, according to health professionals could be unsafe and may result in prolonged illness to these children since certain conditions such as the age of a child, her physical condition and weight come into play when preparing medicines for children.
To improve access to life-saving medicines for children, the Ghana National Drugs Programme (GNDP) of the Ministry of Health has put in place measures to assess the current situation of children’s medicines in the country in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), through “the Better Medicines for Children’s Project”.
The project was inaugurated in Accra on Thursday on the theme “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals; the Case for Better Medicine for Children”.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias K. Sory, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said the practice where medicines meant for adults were given to children affected the manner in which these medicines must work to perform the expected function, thus the health outcomes of the children taking these medicines were affected.
He noted that children especially infants within the first 30 days of life needed special care because at that age, the risk of toxicity was increased by inefficient renal filtration, relative enzyme deficiencies, different sensitivities to target organs and inadequate detoxifying systems which might cause delayed excretion from the child’s system.
Dr Kunbour said better medicines for children in Ghana must, therefore, become a reality because children, and particularly new born babies (neonates), differed from adults in their response to medicines.
In order to correct the above mentioned problem, the Better Medicine for Children’s Project would seek to address issues bearing on: Local manufacturing capacity for medicine formulation appropriate for children; price differentials on child specific medicines, as well as supply and distribution of child specific medicines, among others.
“The Better Medicine for Children in Ghana Project thus seeks to address health systems issues in Ghana with emphasis on the medicines component. This project ensures access to safe and effective child friendly medicines for selected priority disease areas in Ghana”, the Health Minister indicated.
The Programme Manager of the GNDP, Mrs Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, said the project would improve access to child specified medicines in the sector and their rational use, adding that the design of the project was tailored to fit within the country perspective by close alignment with the child health policy of Ghana.
She indicated that the project would determine if medicines such as amoxicillin, zinc, anti-malarial and other key medicines for children were available in appropriate dosage forms in health facilities across Ghana.
A statement issued during the event indicated that the medicines that could easily be dissolved in water or sprinkled on food for children were ideal. It said “In most cases these medicines are cheaper than liquid medicines and do not require refrigeration or difficult measuring”.
Quoting from a report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the statement indicated that each year more than nine million children aged under five died globally and in Ghana about, 81,000 children died, all through diseases which could have been treated with safe essential child-specific medicines.
In the statement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Ghana, Dr Daniel Kertesz, said “We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with Ghana on this project, as there have been several important developments here already, particularly, regarding the implementation of health insurance, and the strengthening of the Food and Drugs Board. We look forward to building on these achievements to ensure Better Medicines for Children”.
For his part, the Chief Pharmacist, Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, expressed the hope that the project would help to prevent the death of children which could occur through the administration of adult medicines to children adding that “For each under-five mortality that we prevent through appropriate health interventions, we produce a potential leader”.
Some parents and health care workers often use fractions of tablets, meant for adults, for children when they are sick. This is done by crushing tablets or dissolving portions of capsules in water for sick children.
The practice, according to health professionals could be unsafe and may result in prolonged illness to these children since certain conditions such as the age of a child, her physical condition and weight come into play when preparing medicines for children.
To improve access to life-saving medicines for children, the Ghana National Drugs Programme (GNDP) of the Ministry of Health has put in place measures to assess the current situation of children’s medicines in the country in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), through “the Better Medicines for Children’s Project”.
The project was inaugurated in Accra on Thursday on the theme “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals; the Case for Better Medicine for Children”.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias K. Sory, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said the practice where medicines meant for adults were given to children affected the manner in which these medicines must work to perform the expected function, thus the health outcomes of the children taking these medicines were affected.
He noted that children especially infants within the first 30 days of life needed special care because at that age, the risk of toxicity was increased by inefficient renal filtration, relative enzyme deficiencies, different sensitivities to target organs and inadequate detoxifying systems which might cause delayed excretion from the child’s system.
Dr Kunbour said better medicines for children in Ghana must, therefore, become a reality because children, and particularly new born babies (neonates), differed from adults in their response to medicines.
In order to correct the above mentioned problem, the Better Medicine for Children’s Project would seek to address issues bearing on: Local manufacturing capacity for medicine formulation appropriate for children; price differentials on child specific medicines, as well as supply and distribution of child specific medicines, among others.
“The Better Medicine for Children in Ghana Project thus seeks to address health systems issues in Ghana with emphasis on the medicines component. This project ensures access to safe and effective child friendly medicines for selected priority disease areas in Ghana”, the Health Minister indicated.
The Programme Manager of the GNDP, Mrs Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, said the project would improve access to child specified medicines in the sector and their rational use, adding that the design of the project was tailored to fit within the country perspective by close alignment with the child health policy of Ghana.
She indicated that the project would determine if medicines such as amoxicillin, zinc, anti-malarial and other key medicines for children were available in appropriate dosage forms in health facilities across Ghana.
A statement issued during the event indicated that the medicines that could easily be dissolved in water or sprinkled on food for children were ideal. It said “In most cases these medicines are cheaper than liquid medicines and do not require refrigeration or difficult measuring”.
Quoting from a report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the statement indicated that each year more than nine million children aged under five died globally and in Ghana about, 81,000 children died, all through diseases which could have been treated with safe essential child-specific medicines.
In the statement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Ghana, Dr Daniel Kertesz, said “We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with Ghana on this project, as there have been several important developments here already, particularly, regarding the implementation of health insurance, and the strengthening of the Food and Drugs Board. We look forward to building on these achievements to ensure Better Medicines for Children”.
For his part, the Chief Pharmacist, Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, expressed the hope that the project would help to prevent the death of children which could occur through the administration of adult medicines to children adding that “For each under-five mortality that we prevent through appropriate health interventions, we produce a potential leader”.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Health team to assess H1N1 situation
A TEAM of public health officials is to visit the Central and Eastern regions to evaluate the H1N1 situation and support the health workers in those regions to contain the spread of the influenza.
The team, which leaves Accra on Thursday, will be led by the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, and will spend between four and five days visiting health facilities and interacting with both health workers and the public in the two regions.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, Dr Amankwah said it was important that those two regions whose educational institutions had of late seen increase in cases of the disease were visited, assessed and the needed support provided before schools re-opened, adding that similar visits would be made to the other regions where the disease was present.
After a number of schools in the Greater Accra Region have recorded cases of the influenza, cases were recorded at the Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and a basic school at Ayipey in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, both in the Central Region.
Some students of the Okuapemman and Mpraeso senior high schools in the Eastern Region were also infected.
The H1N1 influenza, which spread form other parts of the world to Ghana in August 2009, has currently spread to six of the regions of the country. The Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions are the four areas where cases of the disease have not been reported.
Throwing more light on the influenza, Dr Amankwah said the number of confirmed cases throughout the country stood at 600 as of Monday, April 12.
He stated that the number was out of 5,000 specimen so far sent to the central laboratory at the Nogochi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for confirmation.
He observed that the number of confirmed cases notwithstanding, the situation could be described as "under control" because many of the infected persons had been successfully managed while the rest were receiving treatment.
In a related development, the Director of the NMIMR, Dr Alex Nyarko, told the Daily Graphic that the centre was coping with the number of specimen brought there for testing.
He said the only challenge that the personnel faced was to work overtime anytime large volumes of specimen were brought to be worked on.
He said the needed materials such as reagents had so far been made available for effective laboratory work and pointed out that it was important for the centre, which is a World Health Organisation (WHO) accredited laboratory, to be allowed to handle all suspected cases from health facilities to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Dr Nyarko said to avoid drug resistance in the country, all cases must be confirmed at the NMIMR to ensure that those who actually suffered from the H1N1 virus were given the WHO recommended medicine for the treatment.
The team, which leaves Accra on Thursday, will be led by the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, and will spend between four and five days visiting health facilities and interacting with both health workers and the public in the two regions.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, Dr Amankwah said it was important that those two regions whose educational institutions had of late seen increase in cases of the disease were visited, assessed and the needed support provided before schools re-opened, adding that similar visits would be made to the other regions where the disease was present.
After a number of schools in the Greater Accra Region have recorded cases of the influenza, cases were recorded at the Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and a basic school at Ayipey in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, both in the Central Region.
Some students of the Okuapemman and Mpraeso senior high schools in the Eastern Region were also infected.
The H1N1 influenza, which spread form other parts of the world to Ghana in August 2009, has currently spread to six of the regions of the country. The Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions are the four areas where cases of the disease have not been reported.
Throwing more light on the influenza, Dr Amankwah said the number of confirmed cases throughout the country stood at 600 as of Monday, April 12.
He stated that the number was out of 5,000 specimen so far sent to the central laboratory at the Nogochi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for confirmation.
He observed that the number of confirmed cases notwithstanding, the situation could be described as "under control" because many of the infected persons had been successfully managed while the rest were receiving treatment.
In a related development, the Director of the NMIMR, Dr Alex Nyarko, told the Daily Graphic that the centre was coping with the number of specimen brought there for testing.
He said the only challenge that the personnel faced was to work overtime anytime large volumes of specimen were brought to be worked on.
He said the needed materials such as reagents had so far been made available for effective laboratory work and pointed out that it was important for the centre, which is a World Health Organisation (WHO) accredited laboratory, to be allowed to handle all suspected cases from health facilities to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Dr Nyarko said to avoid drug resistance in the country, all cases must be confirmed at the NMIMR to ensure that those who actually suffered from the H1N1 virus were given the WHO recommended medicine for the treatment.
Managing H1N1 influenza - Education is an important tool
THE H1N1 influenza situation in Ghana is said to be under control because health professionals are effectively offering health care services to contain the situation.
Since the pandemic broke out in the country in August 2009, health professionals have been able to identify the H1N1 virus, embarked on surveillance and also effectively managed all reported cases. These have so far yielded positive results since unlike other countries, Ghana has not recorded any deaths from the influenza.
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said at a recent press conference that all 513 cases which had so far been confirmed had been mild and majority of them successfully managed at homes, adding that no single death had been recorded.
What is important at the moment is to ensure that people follow the simple advise given by health professionals so that we continue to manage the situation since there is no vaccine in the country at the moment. Notable among these precautionary measures are frequent washing with soap or alcohol-based hand cleaners, not exchanging used handkerchiefs from people with flu-like symptoms, as well putting an end to indiscriminate waving of such used handkerchiefs or such materials since droplets which settle on such materials could fall on others and therefore spread the infection.
It is also important for the sick to stay away from other people in order not to infect them. And again, there should be a distance of about one metre between an infected person and others to prevent the spread of the virus which could occur through sneezing or coughing.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the acting Deputy Director of Public Health at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate, Dr (Mrs) Vera Opata, said in addition to management of the disease, there had been series of public education to sensitise both health workers and the general public to help contain the disease.
She explained that although there had been an increase in cases in recent times, health workers were on the ground offering the needed care to contain the situation.
She said at the moment, the most important tool to use in curbing the spread of the disease was education, adding that each person should be sensitised to how to protect him or herself from contracting the virus.
The best prevention, according to Dr Opata, was for individuals to observe regular hand-washing with soap, especially after shaking hands with others and before touching the mouth, nose and the eye.
She also pointed out that people should avoid close contact with others suffering from any flu-like symptom or what is referred to as cold or catarrh.
She said the reason was because the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu.
According to Dr Opata, it was safer for people who suffered from flu-like symptoms to report immediately to health facilities for early diagnoses and treatment.
The symptoms include fever and cough, sore throat, catarrh, body aches, headache, and in some cases vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
Dr Opata said the declaration of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the H1N1 influenza was a pandemic was an indication that the disease was currently a global problem affecting all countries of the world.
She said now that the virus had spread all over the world, it was up to the individual countries to contain its spread as much as practicable and pointed out that the Ghanaian health authorities were taking the necessary measures to contain the influenza.
When asked to comment on surveillance at the country’s entry points, Dr Opata explained that there were measures to test people who arrived at the ports with signs of the flu and added that there was also the indication that the disease had transcended to communities and must, therefore, be tackled from within.
She said there was the likelihood that less people might end up getting the virus now that schools were on break and many of the students who might be infected would stay at home and by this minimise transmission.
She suggested that rooms for social gatherings should be well ventilated and advised that sick people should stay away from crowds or work places to protect others from being infected.
She reiterated the need for people to wash their hands frequently with soap, especially when they got in touch with others or touched objects which were likely to be contaminated.
Dr Opata said sick people should cover their mouths with handkerchief or tissue papers when sneezing or coughing and those used tissue papers should be properly disposed of.
She added that those without handkerchiefs should cover their noses and mouths with their arms when coughing or sneezing.
She stressed that the H1N1 virus, just like all other viruses causing influenza, could live for hours after it had been released from an infected person, adding that it was important for objects likely to carry such viruses to be washed to eliminate them.
Since the pandemic broke out in the country in August 2009, health professionals have been able to identify the H1N1 virus, embarked on surveillance and also effectively managed all reported cases. These have so far yielded positive results since unlike other countries, Ghana has not recorded any deaths from the influenza.
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said at a recent press conference that all 513 cases which had so far been confirmed had been mild and majority of them successfully managed at homes, adding that no single death had been recorded.
What is important at the moment is to ensure that people follow the simple advise given by health professionals so that we continue to manage the situation since there is no vaccine in the country at the moment. Notable among these precautionary measures are frequent washing with soap or alcohol-based hand cleaners, not exchanging used handkerchiefs from people with flu-like symptoms, as well putting an end to indiscriminate waving of such used handkerchiefs or such materials since droplets which settle on such materials could fall on others and therefore spread the infection.
It is also important for the sick to stay away from other people in order not to infect them. And again, there should be a distance of about one metre between an infected person and others to prevent the spread of the virus which could occur through sneezing or coughing.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the acting Deputy Director of Public Health at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate, Dr (Mrs) Vera Opata, said in addition to management of the disease, there had been series of public education to sensitise both health workers and the general public to help contain the disease.
She explained that although there had been an increase in cases in recent times, health workers were on the ground offering the needed care to contain the situation.
She said at the moment, the most important tool to use in curbing the spread of the disease was education, adding that each person should be sensitised to how to protect him or herself from contracting the virus.
The best prevention, according to Dr Opata, was for individuals to observe regular hand-washing with soap, especially after shaking hands with others and before touching the mouth, nose and the eye.
She also pointed out that people should avoid close contact with others suffering from any flu-like symptom or what is referred to as cold or catarrh.
She said the reason was because the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu.
According to Dr Opata, it was safer for people who suffered from flu-like symptoms to report immediately to health facilities for early diagnoses and treatment.
The symptoms include fever and cough, sore throat, catarrh, body aches, headache, and in some cases vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
Dr Opata said the declaration of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the H1N1 influenza was a pandemic was an indication that the disease was currently a global problem affecting all countries of the world.
She said now that the virus had spread all over the world, it was up to the individual countries to contain its spread as much as practicable and pointed out that the Ghanaian health authorities were taking the necessary measures to contain the influenza.
When asked to comment on surveillance at the country’s entry points, Dr Opata explained that there were measures to test people who arrived at the ports with signs of the flu and added that there was also the indication that the disease had transcended to communities and must, therefore, be tackled from within.
She said there was the likelihood that less people might end up getting the virus now that schools were on break and many of the students who might be infected would stay at home and by this minimise transmission.
She suggested that rooms for social gatherings should be well ventilated and advised that sick people should stay away from crowds or work places to protect others from being infected.
She reiterated the need for people to wash their hands frequently with soap, especially when they got in touch with others or touched objects which were likely to be contaminated.
Dr Opata said sick people should cover their mouths with handkerchief or tissue papers when sneezing or coughing and those used tissue papers should be properly disposed of.
She added that those without handkerchiefs should cover their noses and mouths with their arms when coughing or sneezing.
She stressed that the H1N1 virus, just like all other viruses causing influenza, could live for hours after it had been released from an infected person, adding that it was important for objects likely to carry such viruses to be washed to eliminate them.
Monday, April 12, 2010
No panic over H1N1 influenza-Health authorities assure.
Saturday, April 11, 2010
GHANAIANS have been told not to panic over the presence of the H1N1 influenza in country, but need to heed professional advice to prevent its further spread.
At press a conference in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said preparation for the deployment of vaccine was underway in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and called on Ghanaians to take the necessary precautionary measures now that there were no vaccines to protect them.
He said the H1N1 influenza had now spread to all continents and other several countries including Ghana, adding that it was declared “phase 6 pandemic” by the WHO on June 11, 2009.
Considering the harm which the influenza had caused in other countries, Dr Kunbour noted that a National Strategic Plan set up by the health sector at the onset of the outbreak of the disease in August 2009 seemed to have helped to contain the situation to a large extent.
He said with no single death being recorded, all the 513 cases which had so far been confirmed had been mild and majority of them successfully managed at homes.
He attributed the current situation partly to ”Intensification of surveillance (passive and active) for early detection of cases and general monitoring of the situation,” adding that staff in all health facilities were being directed to collect and transport specimen from suspected cases to Noguchi for laboratory confirmation.
He said all regions of the country apart from Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions had recorded cases of the influenza.
Dr Kunbour said the most important thing to do under the circumstance was for each Ghanaian to cultivate the habit of frequent hand washing with soap and also report immediately to the nearest health facility for treatment if one suffered from any of the symptoms of influenza.
He said the country had in store adequate medicines and stressed that there were supplies at both the regional and district health stores for the treatment of cases.
He maintained that now that there were local transmission unlike in the early stages where infections involved contact with people from outside the country, it had become important for people to seriously take precautionary measures to protect themselves and others from the virus.
He said the National Strategic Plan, which involved various committees, had embarked on public education through the media and also organised seminars, workshops, fro, educational talks, as well as distribution of flyers and posters to the public.
For his part, the Director of Public Health, Dr Joseph Amankwah, said treatment of the disease was free in all public health facilities and encouraged those who presented symptoms of influenza which included fever, headache, bodily pains, shortness of breathe, coughing, sneezing and at times vomiting and diarrhoea to report to their doctors.
He reiterated that the situation was not alarming, since the health authorities were monitoring the situation seriously.
He also added that Ghana was fortunate to have a WHO-accredited laboratory centre at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) where all cases could be tested.
GHANAIANS have been told not to panic over the presence of the H1N1 influenza in country, but need to heed professional advice to prevent its further spread.
At press a conference in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said preparation for the deployment of vaccine was underway in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and called on Ghanaians to take the necessary precautionary measures now that there were no vaccines to protect them.
He said the H1N1 influenza had now spread to all continents and other several countries including Ghana, adding that it was declared “phase 6 pandemic” by the WHO on June 11, 2009.
Considering the harm which the influenza had caused in other countries, Dr Kunbour noted that a National Strategic Plan set up by the health sector at the onset of the outbreak of the disease in August 2009 seemed to have helped to contain the situation to a large extent.
He said with no single death being recorded, all the 513 cases which had so far been confirmed had been mild and majority of them successfully managed at homes.
He attributed the current situation partly to ”Intensification of surveillance (passive and active) for early detection of cases and general monitoring of the situation,” adding that staff in all health facilities were being directed to collect and transport specimen from suspected cases to Noguchi for laboratory confirmation.
He said all regions of the country apart from Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West and the Volta regions had recorded cases of the influenza.
Dr Kunbour said the most important thing to do under the circumstance was for each Ghanaian to cultivate the habit of frequent hand washing with soap and also report immediately to the nearest health facility for treatment if one suffered from any of the symptoms of influenza.
He said the country had in store adequate medicines and stressed that there were supplies at both the regional and district health stores for the treatment of cases.
He maintained that now that there were local transmission unlike in the early stages where infections involved contact with people from outside the country, it had become important for people to seriously take precautionary measures to protect themselves and others from the virus.
He said the National Strategic Plan, which involved various committees, had embarked on public education through the media and also organised seminars, workshops, fro, educational talks, as well as distribution of flyers and posters to the public.
For his part, the Director of Public Health, Dr Joseph Amankwah, said treatment of the disease was free in all public health facilities and encouraged those who presented symptoms of influenza which included fever, headache, bodily pains, shortness of breathe, coughing, sneezing and at times vomiting and diarrhoea to report to their doctors.
He reiterated that the situation was not alarming, since the health authorities were monitoring the situation seriously.
He also added that Ghana was fortunate to have a WHO-accredited laboratory centre at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) where all cases could be tested.
Tips to help you avoid H1N1 Influenza
Friday, April 09, 2010
WITH increase in the cases of H1N1 influenza in the country, the public has been advised not to ignore the threat but do well to protect themselves from being infected.
As of Sunday, April 4, 2010, there had been a total of 480 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza recorded in Ghana. Fortunately, no death has so far been recorded.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) report posted on December 7, 2009 indicated that globally, a total of more than 1. 4 million cases had been recorded, out of which more than 25,000 deaths had occurred.
The H1N1 influenza, commonly refereed to as swine flu, is a disease caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. It first broke out in April 2009 and has been declared a pandemic by the WHO.
A pandemic, according to the world health body, is a disease that spreads over a whole country or the world.
Ghana started recording cases in August, 2009 and the highest hit is the country’s educational institutions with the Lincoln Community School in Accra being the first to have been affected by the flu in the latter part of the year. Since then, the virus has spread to the Okuapeman Senior High School in the Eastern Region, the Merton Primary School in Accra, the Tema Parents School and also the Achimota Basic School.
At the end of March, 2010, reports indicated that some students at the Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and Ayipeh L/A Primary and Junior High School in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District in the Central Region had also been infected.
To help the public know how to protect themselves from the influenza, officials of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate has intensified efforts at sensitising the public through press releases, radio talk shows, public durbars, as well as interacting with pupils and students in schools.
Incidentally, the Greater Accra Region was the first to record the presence of the virus in the country. An official of the regional health directorate told the Daily Graphic that about 163 cases had been confirmed in the region by March 23, 2010.
Accordingly, a statement from the directorate indicated that the country needed to enlighten the populace on the disease and what residents should do to prevent its spread.
Symptoms of the influenza, according to health workers include fever, cough or sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and in some cases, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
It is also important to know that the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu and also people may become infected by touching surfaces or holding objects contaminated with the influenza viruses.
Examples of items which could carry the virus are hands, door handles, handkerchiefs, tissue paper and then touching one’s own mouth, nose or eyes after touching any such contaminated item.
Infected individuals can prevent the spread of the pandemic influenza A H1N1 to others by allowing sick persons to be at home if not on admission and limit contact with others as much as possible; sick people should cover their mouth with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing or coughing; tissue paper used should be properly disposed off and handkerchiefs or the other materials used be washed with soap, dried and replaced as often as required.
It is also important to prevent others from using materials used by a sick person for wiping the nose or mouth.
In other not to spread the virus, one should cover the nose and mouth with a tissue or handkerchief when one coughs or sneezes. Tissue papers should be thrown in a trash can after use and handkerchiefs and other materials must be washed with soap and water.
To be on the safer side, individuals should wash their hands often and thoroughly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. One should avoid touching one’s eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
To get early treatment, anyone with any flu-like symptoms, should report to the nearest clinic for treatment and advice. After that, the individual should stay away from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
It is significant to try to avoid close contact with sick people and also sick persons should stay at home for seven days after symptoms begin or until he or she has been cleared of all symptoms for 24 hours or whichever is longer. This, according to health workers, is to keep one from infecting others and spreading the virus.
To be our brother’s keeper, we can advise those who are not well to seek medical assistance, seek information from the nearest clinic or hospital and follow directions from health officials.
A person is expected to have the disease when he or she develops fever with cough and or sore throat. Such an individual, according to health experts, should immediately report to the nearest health facility for diagnose and proper treatment. Who knows, you might have deadly influenza and the over-the-counter medicine you bought for the cold the other time might not work this time round.
WITH increase in the cases of H1N1 influenza in the country, the public has been advised not to ignore the threat but do well to protect themselves from being infected.
As of Sunday, April 4, 2010, there had been a total of 480 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza recorded in Ghana. Fortunately, no death has so far been recorded.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) report posted on December 7, 2009 indicated that globally, a total of more than 1. 4 million cases had been recorded, out of which more than 25,000 deaths had occurred.
The H1N1 influenza, commonly refereed to as swine flu, is a disease caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. It first broke out in April 2009 and has been declared a pandemic by the WHO.
A pandemic, according to the world health body, is a disease that spreads over a whole country or the world.
Ghana started recording cases in August, 2009 and the highest hit is the country’s educational institutions with the Lincoln Community School in Accra being the first to have been affected by the flu in the latter part of the year. Since then, the virus has spread to the Okuapeman Senior High School in the Eastern Region, the Merton Primary School in Accra, the Tema Parents School and also the Achimota Basic School.
At the end of March, 2010, reports indicated that some students at the Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and Ayipeh L/A Primary and Junior High School in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District in the Central Region had also been infected.
To help the public know how to protect themselves from the influenza, officials of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate has intensified efforts at sensitising the public through press releases, radio talk shows, public durbars, as well as interacting with pupils and students in schools.
Incidentally, the Greater Accra Region was the first to record the presence of the virus in the country. An official of the regional health directorate told the Daily Graphic that about 163 cases had been confirmed in the region by March 23, 2010.
Accordingly, a statement from the directorate indicated that the country needed to enlighten the populace on the disease and what residents should do to prevent its spread.
Symptoms of the influenza, according to health workers include fever, cough or sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and in some cases, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
It is also important to know that the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu and also people may become infected by touching surfaces or holding objects contaminated with the influenza viruses.
Examples of items which could carry the virus are hands, door handles, handkerchiefs, tissue paper and then touching one’s own mouth, nose or eyes after touching any such contaminated item.
Infected individuals can prevent the spread of the pandemic influenza A H1N1 to others by allowing sick persons to be at home if not on admission and limit contact with others as much as possible; sick people should cover their mouth with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing or coughing; tissue paper used should be properly disposed off and handkerchiefs or the other materials used be washed with soap, dried and replaced as often as required.
It is also important to prevent others from using materials used by a sick person for wiping the nose or mouth.
In other not to spread the virus, one should cover the nose and mouth with a tissue or handkerchief when one coughs or sneezes. Tissue papers should be thrown in a trash can after use and handkerchiefs and other materials must be washed with soap and water.
To be on the safer side, individuals should wash their hands often and thoroughly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. One should avoid touching one’s eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
To get early treatment, anyone with any flu-like symptoms, should report to the nearest clinic for treatment and advice. After that, the individual should stay away from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
It is significant to try to avoid close contact with sick people and also sick persons should stay at home for seven days after symptoms begin or until he or she has been cleared of all symptoms for 24 hours or whichever is longer. This, according to health workers, is to keep one from infecting others and spreading the virus.
To be our brother’s keeper, we can advise those who are not well to seek medical assistance, seek information from the nearest clinic or hospital and follow directions from health officials.
A person is expected to have the disease when he or she develops fever with cough and or sore throat. Such an individual, according to health experts, should immediately report to the nearest health facility for diagnose and proper treatment. Who knows, you might have deadly influenza and the over-the-counter medicine you bought for the cold the other time might not work this time round.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
NADMO raises red flag over H1N1 influenza
With more than 480 cases of the deadly H1N1 influenza already recorded in Ghana since August 2009, officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have raised a flag about a possible outbreak of the disease.
In a statement signed by the National Co-ordinator of the NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, NADMO said the threat had been heightened by the sporadic outbreaks in a number of educational institutions in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Northern and Central regions, leading to their closure in the past few weeks.
The organisation has, therefore, cautioned the public to minimise crowding at social events, especially those meant for children.
“The most alarming fact is that minors and children in our society are the most vulnerable group. The recent outbreaks which led to suspension of classes meant that most children from these schools may be incubating the disease without showing any sign or symptoms and therefore could easily infect others,” it stated.
It continued that due to the mode of transmission, crowding at social events, especially for children coming from different schools, would be highly fertile grounds for easy spread of the disease to the family members, friends and the community.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday on the issue, the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, said it was important for the public to support health workers to contain the spread of the disease by following the necessary advice.
Dr Amankwah said regular hand-washing with soap, especially after shaking hands with others and before touching the mouth, nose and the eye could prevent one from getting the virus.
Another measure, according to the Director, was for people to avoid close contact with others suffering from any flu-like symptom or what is referred to as cold or catarrh.
He said that was because the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu.
Dr Amankwah reiterated that people could become infected by touching surfaces or holding objects contaminated with the influenza viruses and touching the afore-mentioned parts of the bodies without first washing their hands.
He also urged people to report to the nearest hospital immediately they suffered from any of the symptoms of the influenza for early detection and treatment.
The symptoms include fever, cough or sore throat, body aches, headache, chills (shivering), and fatigue and in some cases vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
Dr Amankwah pointed out that infected individuals could prevent the spread of the pandemic influenza to others by staying at home, if not on admission, and also limiting contact with others as much as possible
“Sick people should cover their mouth with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing or coughing and tissue papers used should be properly disposed off and handkerchiefs or the other materials used be washed with soap, dried and replaced as often as required,” he stated.
Dr Amankwah stated that handkerchiefs or such materials of sick persons should not be exchanged or used by others.
In a statement signed by the National Co-ordinator of the NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, NADMO said the threat had been heightened by the sporadic outbreaks in a number of educational institutions in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Northern and Central regions, leading to their closure in the past few weeks.
The organisation has, therefore, cautioned the public to minimise crowding at social events, especially those meant for children.
“The most alarming fact is that minors and children in our society are the most vulnerable group. The recent outbreaks which led to suspension of classes meant that most children from these schools may be incubating the disease without showing any sign or symptoms and therefore could easily infect others,” it stated.
It continued that due to the mode of transmission, crowding at social events, especially for children coming from different schools, would be highly fertile grounds for easy spread of the disease to the family members, friends and the community.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday on the issue, the Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, said it was important for the public to support health workers to contain the spread of the disease by following the necessary advice.
Dr Amankwah said regular hand-washing with soap, especially after shaking hands with others and before touching the mouth, nose and the eye could prevent one from getting the virus.
Another measure, according to the Director, was for people to avoid close contact with others suffering from any flu-like symptom or what is referred to as cold or catarrh.
He said that was because the disease spread from one person to another through droplets released during coughing or sneezing as in any flu.
Dr Amankwah reiterated that people could become infected by touching surfaces or holding objects contaminated with the influenza viruses and touching the afore-mentioned parts of the bodies without first washing their hands.
He also urged people to report to the nearest hospital immediately they suffered from any of the symptoms of the influenza for early detection and treatment.
The symptoms include fever, cough or sore throat, body aches, headache, chills (shivering), and fatigue and in some cases vomiting and diarrhoea.
Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Death may occur if severe complication has taken place.
Dr Amankwah pointed out that infected individuals could prevent the spread of the pandemic influenza to others by staying at home, if not on admission, and also limiting contact with others as much as possible
“Sick people should cover their mouth with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing or coughing and tissue papers used should be properly disposed off and handkerchiefs or the other materials used be washed with soap, dried and replaced as often as required,” he stated.
Dr Amankwah stated that handkerchiefs or such materials of sick persons should not be exchanged or used by others.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
SWINE FLU-More cases at Mfantsipim, Ayipey (Front Page)
LESS than one week after the initial outbreak of H1N1 influenza was reported at Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, the number of infections has sharply shot up from 10 to 83.
The number of infections recorded at Ayipey in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region has also increased from two to 40.
The new cases at Mfantsipim and Ayipey bring to 480 the number of infections reported so far nation-wide.
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that as of Sunday, April 4, 2010, 480 cases of the influenza had been recorded nation-wide but no deaths had so far been recorded.
At a press briefing at Mfantsipim School yesterday, the Central Regional Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr J.B. Eliezar, said that the situation was being contained and that there was no cause for alarm.
For his part, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Director of Health, Dr Joseph Nuertey, said the health directorate was in control of the situation at Mfantsipim School.
He said 63 students were screened on Saturday, while 193 were screened on Sunday, and gave the assurance that all the 83 students were responding to treatment.
He called for calm, particularly on the part of parents, saying the situation was now under control and cases were not coming in as they were at the initial stages.
He said, however, that the health authorities were not taking anything for granted but would work to ensure that the situation was improved.
Dr Nuertey said the closure of the school would still not be recommended because that could lead to the spread of the disease.
He said an ambulance was on standby at the school to ensure that any critical case was sent to the Central Regional Hospital.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Koame Mieza Edjah, appealed to parents not to visit the school for the next two weeks to enable the school and the health authorities to manage the situation.
He assured parents that the staff of the school was working to give students the needed attention and support during the period, adding that parents should bear with the authorities on the decision to keep students on the compound, saying it was in the best interest of all.
Meanwhile, the public has been advised not to ignore the recent increase in H1N1 influenza but do well to protect themselves from being infected with the deadly influenza, officials of the GHS have indicated.
The H1N1 influenza, commonly refereed to as swine flu, is a disease that is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. It first broke out in April 2009 and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A pandemic, according to the world health body, is a disease that spreads over a whole country or the world.
Ghana started recording cases in August 2009 and the highest hit is the country’s educational institutions, with the Lincoln Community School in Accra being the first to have been hit by the flu in the latter part of the year. Since then, the virus has spread to the Okuapeman Senior High School in the Eastern Region, Merton Primary in Accra, Tema Parents School and Achimota Basic School.
At the end of March 2010 reports, indicated that Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and Ayipeh L/A Primary and Junior High School in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region had also been affected by the H1N1 influenza.
The number of infections recorded at Ayipey in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region has also increased from two to 40.
The new cases at Mfantsipim and Ayipey bring to 480 the number of infections reported so far nation-wide.
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwah, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that as of Sunday, April 4, 2010, 480 cases of the influenza had been recorded nation-wide but no deaths had so far been recorded.
At a press briefing at Mfantsipim School yesterday, the Central Regional Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr J.B. Eliezar, said that the situation was being contained and that there was no cause for alarm.
For his part, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Director of Health, Dr Joseph Nuertey, said the health directorate was in control of the situation at Mfantsipim School.
He said 63 students were screened on Saturday, while 193 were screened on Sunday, and gave the assurance that all the 83 students were responding to treatment.
He called for calm, particularly on the part of parents, saying the situation was now under control and cases were not coming in as they were at the initial stages.
He said, however, that the health authorities were not taking anything for granted but would work to ensure that the situation was improved.
Dr Nuertey said the closure of the school would still not be recommended because that could lead to the spread of the disease.
He said an ambulance was on standby at the school to ensure that any critical case was sent to the Central Regional Hospital.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Koame Mieza Edjah, appealed to parents not to visit the school for the next two weeks to enable the school and the health authorities to manage the situation.
He assured parents that the staff of the school was working to give students the needed attention and support during the period, adding that parents should bear with the authorities on the decision to keep students on the compound, saying it was in the best interest of all.
Meanwhile, the public has been advised not to ignore the recent increase in H1N1 influenza but do well to protect themselves from being infected with the deadly influenza, officials of the GHS have indicated.
The H1N1 influenza, commonly refereed to as swine flu, is a disease that is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. It first broke out in April 2009 and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A pandemic, according to the world health body, is a disease that spreads over a whole country or the world.
Ghana started recording cases in August 2009 and the highest hit is the country’s educational institutions, with the Lincoln Community School in Accra being the first to have been hit by the flu in the latter part of the year. Since then, the virus has spread to the Okuapeman Senior High School in the Eastern Region, Merton Primary in Accra, Tema Parents School and Achimota Basic School.
At the end of March 2010 reports, indicated that Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast and Ayipeh L/A Primary and Junior High School in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region had also been affected by the H1N1 influenza.
Relief for psychiatric hospitals (Front Page)
AUTHORITIES at the three public psychiatric hospitals which were hit by an acute shortage of drugs have heaved a sigh of relief with the supply of drugs to last them for the next four months.
The quantity is said to be about a third of the required drugs needed by the hospitals, since they are usually given supplies to last for a year.
The supplies were made after officials of the hospitals in Accra, Ankaful and Pantang had complained about the shortage and how the situation affected healthcare delivery at those hospitals.
Reports indicate that during the period of the shortage, some of the patients who did not receive the required dose of prescribed drugs became aggressive and attacked other patients or health workers.
The situation, according to the reports, resulted in the killing of a patient each by other patients at the Accra and Pantang hospitals. At the same time, a nurse was almost strangled at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital but she was fortunately saved by one of the patients.
When contacted for comment, the Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Akwasi Osei, confirmed that drugs meant to last for four months had been supplied and pointed out that efforts were being made to get the remaining drugs to avoid a recurrence of the recent shortage.
He explained that the drugs in question were imported and had to be tested by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) to ascertain their efficacy, a process which had caused the delay and the subsequent shortage.
Dr Osei said on a daily basis, the three hospitals received between 700 and 800 outpatients, stressing that the figure was in addition to about 2,000 patients on admission.
He said of the 2,000 inmates, the Accra Psychiatric Hospital had the highest number of about 1,200, followed by the Pantang Hospital with about 500, with the rest being at the Ankaful Hospital.
A Daily Graphic report on Friday, March 26 2010 had indicated that the three hospitals had been hit by an acute shortage of drugs for mental patients.
The report revealed that the hospitals had not been supplied with drugs for the past five months.
Health workers at the hospitals told the Daily Graphic that the situation had resulted in some patients on admission being given lower doses of prescribed drugs, while out-patients had to buy from outside the hospitals at exorbitant prices.
Under Ghana’s health sector policy, psychiatric drugs are provided free of charge by the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the treatment of patients who suffer from various types of mental illness. At worst, the drugs have to be subsidised for these patients who are considered vulnerable.
The quantity is said to be about a third of the required drugs needed by the hospitals, since they are usually given supplies to last for a year.
The supplies were made after officials of the hospitals in Accra, Ankaful and Pantang had complained about the shortage and how the situation affected healthcare delivery at those hospitals.
Reports indicate that during the period of the shortage, some of the patients who did not receive the required dose of prescribed drugs became aggressive and attacked other patients or health workers.
The situation, according to the reports, resulted in the killing of a patient each by other patients at the Accra and Pantang hospitals. At the same time, a nurse was almost strangled at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital but she was fortunately saved by one of the patients.
When contacted for comment, the Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Akwasi Osei, confirmed that drugs meant to last for four months had been supplied and pointed out that efforts were being made to get the remaining drugs to avoid a recurrence of the recent shortage.
He explained that the drugs in question were imported and had to be tested by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) to ascertain their efficacy, a process which had caused the delay and the subsequent shortage.
Dr Osei said on a daily basis, the three hospitals received between 700 and 800 outpatients, stressing that the figure was in addition to about 2,000 patients on admission.
He said of the 2,000 inmates, the Accra Psychiatric Hospital had the highest number of about 1,200, followed by the Pantang Hospital with about 500, with the rest being at the Ankaful Hospital.
A Daily Graphic report on Friday, March 26 2010 had indicated that the three hospitals had been hit by an acute shortage of drugs for mental patients.
The report revealed that the hospitals had not been supplied with drugs for the past five months.
Health workers at the hospitals told the Daily Graphic that the situation had resulted in some patients on admission being given lower doses of prescribed drugs, while out-patients had to buy from outside the hospitals at exorbitant prices.
Under Ghana’s health sector policy, psychiatric drugs are provided free of charge by the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the treatment of patients who suffer from various types of mental illness. At worst, the drugs have to be subsidised for these patients who are considered vulnerable.
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