Medishop Expo 2011 opens in Accra

Accra, Sept. 22, GNA - Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, Deputy Minister of Health on Thursday said to achieve the national agenda of a Better Ghana there was the need to provide quality health care for all and sundry. In addition, enough awareness should be created to let people make health life choices and create the right conditions to make appropriate choices.

"Preventable diseases and inadequate quality health care service sti= ll dominate the health landscape. Most of these diseases could be prevented with adequate information and timely interventions using quality health car= e coupled with behavioural and life style changes, 93Mr Mettle-Nunoo added. He made the observation when addressing the opening session of the Fourth International Medical, Pharmaceutical and Healthy Food Fair in Accra= .. It is on the theme 93Quality Health Care Delivery for a Better Ghana= ". The fair dubbed: 91Medishop Expo 2011' is being organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the management of Shem Pharmaceutical Services to showcase a wide range of medical services and screening, authentic drugs and healthy foods. Medishop Expo was planned to showcase the health industry in Ghana on promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services and offer huge promotional opportunities for exhibitors' products and services. Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the fair would focus on what people should do to maintain good health and remain healthy, what they should do to avoid getting sick and prevent illness, what they should do when they are sick an= d what options are available to them for rehabilitation. He entreated the general public to change their lifestyles to reflect and revitalise their health for their own benefit, families, communities an= d nation at large.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo cautioned the public to view the fair as a wake-up cal= l and a milestone to revisit the agenda for promotive and preventive health services to ensure a Better Ghana. Mr Fidelis George Dakpallah, Director Policy, Planning and Monitoring Evaluation, Ministry of Health said objectives of the fair were to promote and encourage Ghanaians on the need to maintain healthy lifestyles, create awareness on preventive health care and widen the health literacy base as well as highlighting the emerging wellness industry as an important health development in the country.

In addition, it would help to create an effective marketing platform for corporate bodies providing health maintenance and enhancing products an= d services, creating a platform for awareness creation on Regenerative Health and Nutritional Programme (RHNP) as a tool to promoting good health. Mr Dakpallah noted that the general perception had been that health service delivery was largely facility-based with emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and with little consideration on issues of lifestyle, as it related to disease prevention and the promotion of good health Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister said the fair woul= d showcase products and services in the health service, industry and inform Ghanaians to patronise them and take personal responsibility of their health. He noted that adoption of these healthy life style practices would prevent diseases and ultimately reduce government expenditure, adding healt= h care included the adoption of informed deliberately chosen action to promot= e health and avoid diseases.