Local gov’t responsible for cholera prevention

The responsibility for preventing cholera in Ghana falls squarely on the laps of the Local Government sector rather than the Health sector.

The role of the health sector in relation to cholera is essentially to secure the lives of victims during an outbreak.

This is because cholera is about water, toilet and general environmental sanitation, the core business of the Local government system.

Dr Joseph Nuertey Volta Regional Director of Health made these assertions at a stakeholders’ pre-implementation meeting for National Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) for Ebola and Cholera campaign in the Volta Region.

The six months campaign is spearheaded by Hope For Future Generations (HFFG), a non-governmental organisation, with funding from the British Department for international Development (DFID).

Dr Nuertey suggested that cholera prevention must be one of the essential criteria for assessing the effectiveness and retention of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

He said the law on household toilets, preferably water closets, should be strictly enforced, and where necessary water-closet toilets must be the standard public toilets.

Dr Nuertey said the citizenry must demand of their MMD Assemblies to provide sanitation facilities as a right.

He said a total of 728 cholera cases were recorded in the region recently out of which ten people died.

Ketu-South, Hohoe and Nkwanta-South were the worst hit districts he said.