GA S: Long lasting treated nets Campaign launched

Treated net

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has launched a campaign aimed at distributing free treated mosquito nets to households in Greater Accra Region at Amanfro, in Ga South Municipality.

The programme dubbed: “Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets campaign 2012,” was launched by the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon Isaac Vanderpuiye who stated that the launch was critical and imperative in our quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), particularly to reduce death among children under five years old.

He added that there was the urgent need for us as a nation to redouble our collective and individual efforts to address the issues of child mortality through that campaign.

“Due to the fact that health is the most valuable asset than wealth that every country aspires to give to its citizenry the MOH, National Malaria Control Programme and its development partners are working towards reducing malaria related maternal and infant mortality by providing door to door distribution of free Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets”.

Mr Vanderpuiye added that, the LLIN was a factory treated mosquito net made with netting material that had insecticide incorporated with 3years life span and did not need re-treatment as compared to the old ones.

He reiterated that since 2002, Ghana had consciously implemented mass insecticide treated net campaign, targeting pregnant women and children less than five years.

“However, there are new arrangement in this campaign, which includes   household registration exercise to register all beneficiaries, universal distribution coverage and trained community volunteers to provide all the needed logistics for all pre-registered beneficiaries,” he explained.

He emphasised that the free distribution of the lasting insecticide treated net would contribute to reduce child mortality in Ghana by two thirds by 2015 and challenged the MMDGS to make conscious efforts to support this campaign to achieve the desired results.

The Municipal Chief Executive of Ga South, Hon Jerry Akwei Thompson sated that malaria was the number one killer disease in the sub Sahara Africa and in the Ga South Municipality, 53,086 cases of malaria were recorded in 2011.

In view of this, he noted that as part of the assembly’s efforts in beefing up health facilities, especially in the rural communities, the Ga South Municipality had five new facilities which would soon be in operational to ensure total health of the populace. These facilities included Aplaku Health Centre, Balagonna CHIPS Compound, Ashalaja Health Centre, Kofi -Kwei and Kwame Anum Clinics.

“The assembly has decided to engage additional labourers to assist in cleaning drains and walk ways in the municipality,” he said. He also called on property owners along the main highway from Mallam Junction to the Old Barrier to landscape their frontages to beautify the municipality.

Ghanadistricts.com