Design sustainable actions to fight malaria - Chairman

Kumasi, Aug 2, GNA - Mr George Ankomah-Yeboah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET), has called on NGOs, who have been given placement to participate in the Roll-Back Malaria programme, to design sustainable action programmes and interventions to fight the disease in their areas of operation.

He said considering the magnitude of the problem, there was the need for them to be engaged in the roll back malaria programme, as advocates, by which they could influence chief executives and other resource holders to solicit for their political and leadership will and resource commitment to help combat malaria in the communities. Mr Ankomah-Yeboah was speaking at a day's seminar on roll-back malaria in Kumasi on Friday.

It was organised by the Ashanti regional branch of GHANET for its members and other civil society organisations in the region. He said there was the need for the NGOs to move into the communities to educate and sensitise the people to own Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN's) for protection against mosquito bites. Mr Ankoma-Yeboah, who is also the Ashanti regional president of Nana Yaa Foundation, an NGO, said malaria has been of great concern to the government and the international community.

That is why he said malaria is given prominent emphasis, among other issues in the Ghana Revised National Population Policy Document, specifically under child health, because of its devastating effect on children, especially those under five years.

"Malaria is also mentioned under maternal mortality and safe motherhood issues, as one of the causes of maternal deaths, hence, its adverse effects on pregnant women", he said.