Mfantseman Health Directorate exceeds target

Saltpond (C/R), Feb. 11, GNA - The Mfantseman District Directorate of the Ghana Health Service exceeded its target in the National Immunisation Day (NID), Routine Immunisation and Reproductive Health Services last year.

The District recorded 109.9 percent and 110.3 percent in the first and second phases of the NID in October and December 2003 respectively. Mr Francis Zuradam Saareson, District Disease Control Officer, said these at a review meeting at Saltpond, which took stock of the performance of the directorate in 2003.

It was attended by staff of the District Hospital at Saltpond and the five sub-district health institutions at Anomabo, Mankessim, Abeadze Dominase, Otuam and Essuehyia, the Saltpond Hospital Advisory Committee and the District Health Management Team.

Others participants were from Plan Ghana and World Vision, both NGOs, Chiefs, representatives of the District Assembly and some pharmaceutical companies.

Mr Saareson said the District did not record any outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera and meningitis in the year under review.

Dr Simpson Anim Boateng, District Director of Health Services, commended the workers, members of the Committees, the District Assembly and the NGOs for their support for health programmes.

He expressed gratefulness to Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, DCE for his personal involvement in the NID exercises.

Dr Boateng said the DCE had presented a cheque for 533 million cedis from the HIPC fund to cover the cost of people exempted from medical bills including pregnant women, children below six years and the aged.

He mentioned intensification of disease surveillance, education on TB and HIV/AIDS and putting in place community-based Health Planning and Services and as the challenges this year.

Dr G K Morrison, Twifi-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira District Director of Health Services, who chaired the meeting, commended the people for their cooperation, which enabled the District to record the successes and urged them to keep it up.