Drive for Health Foundation Ghana trains nurses on Hepatitis

A group of nurses in the Northern Region has been trained on hepatitis to enhance their capacity and skills towards the treatment of the disease.

A total of 215 nurses drawn from various facilities in the Region benefited from the day's training, which also formed part of the awareness creation on the disease.

It was organised by the Drive for Health Foundation Ghana (D4H), an NGO, with support from Mega Lifesciences Ghana Limited as part of activities to mark this year’s hepatitis B and C day on the theme: “Investing in Hepatitis”.

Mr Damasus Suglo, Executive Director of D4H, who spoke during the training in Tamale, underscored the importance of the training for the nurses saying “They meet a lot of patients and need to learn new trends of the hepatitis to help save lives”.

Mr Suglo said “Hepatitis is real, hepatitis exists, hepatitis affects everyone everywhere and it is important everyone gets tested and vaccinated if tested positive".

He urged stakeholders in the health sector as well as government to invest in activities of hepatitis that would help in the fight against the disease to save lives.

Dr Braimah Abubakari, Deputy Director of Clinical Care, Ghana Health Service, said the prevalence of hepatitis in the country had been on the decline attributing the situation to early vaccinations, mother to child screening and early diagnoses and treatment of the disease.

Mr Charles Ampong Adjei, a Public Health Specialist, underscored the need for government to include the treatment of hepatitis in the National Health Insurance Scheme as well as nurses inculcating cultural sensitive health care services to patients to help in treating the disease.