By Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA
Accra, Feb. 20, GNA - First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Tuesday launched the 2018 Rotary Ghana Family Health Days Campaign and commended all the organisations working to bring quality health, especially, maternal and child health to the door steps of Ghanaians.
She particularly, commended Rotary Ghana, for its work in the construction of clinics, the provision of medical equipment and supplies, clean water, sanitation facilities and for training health care givers country-wide.
Speaking at the launching of the Rotary Health days in Accra, Mrs Akufo-Addo said, though Ghana had made significant progress towards addressing the health needs of the citizenry, there were still challenges, particularly, related to access to essential health services, especially in deprived communities.
Mrs Akufo-Addo reiterated the fact that government alone could not provide all the health needs of Ghanaians and so everyone was needed in the effort at addressing health care needs of the country.
“That is why it gladdens my heart that as Rotarians your six major areas of focus include maternal and Child Health. These six areas encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs, and I know you have a proven record of success in addressing them as shown by your dedication to eradicating Polio in the World”.
The Rotary Family Health Days (RFHD), initiated in 2014 in Ghana, is a programme managed by Rotary Clubs in partnership with other organisations, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the USAID.
It offers free health screening services over a period of three days for children, women and men in selected undeserved settlements.
This year’s health services, launched on the theme: “Healthy families, Healthy Communities” would include the provision of screening for HIV, blood sugar testing, HB, TB, Diabetes, as well as immunisation of children from age zero to five years, alongside deworming, family planning services and the sharing of free condoms and mosquito nets to over 50,000 Ghanaians in eight regions of the country from February 22 to 24.
Mrs Akufo-Addo said Ghanaians as a people should not lose sight of the fact that health was one of the most precious commodities on earth and it should be prioritised at all times.
She said like the other organisations that had been assisting government to cater for the health needs of the people, her two Foundations, namely, the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation and the Rebecca Foundation were playing critical roles in helping improve healthcare delivery, especially, towards maternal and child health.
She said aside the building of the Mother and Baby Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi and the CHPs Compound facility in Tamale, the Rebecca Foundation was currently helping to build a hostel for parents of Children receiving cancer treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
The Foundation also plans to build a paediatric intensive care unit for the children’s block of KBTH, she noted.
She urged all individual and institutions to work together to promote healthy-living among all people in the country, irrespective of their social setting.
Dr Nii Akwei Addo, Assistant Governor of Rotary Ghana, said through the annual screening, Rotary was creating the awareness among the citizenry on the need to at least do an annual health screening to enable them to stay healthy at all times.
He said Rotary Ghana was currently discussing with the Ministry of Health, to in the long term, help sustain the annual screening for the people by supporting it with the National Health Insurance scheme, since funds for the programme kept dwindling.
He said due to the success of the Ghana programme, Rotary International, the parent organisation of Rotary Ghana, had asked that such a programme should be extended to Togo and Benin, and that, the two countries would start their screenings in a few weeks’ time.
Ms Sharon Cromer, Mission Director of USAID, said the US Government was proud to partner Rotary International as well as the MOH and GHS to improve the health and well-being of all Ghanaians.
“We are pleased to support Rotary Family Health Days for the fourth year in a row. Through our partnership in 2014, more than 23, 000 Ghanaians received essential health services… In 2016, we more than doubled the population reached, with over 59,000 Ghanaians benefiting from services. I am confident that even more Ghanaians will benefit from the 2018 effort”
GNA
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