Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis records high malaria cases

Mr. Nicholas Asare, Metropolitan Disease Control Officer of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis, says malaria continued to be the number one disease recorded at the Out Patient Department (OPD) daily.

In 2012 for instance, the metropolis recorded 96,483 malaria cases with 844 admissions and 19 deaths and cholera also recording 64.

Mr. Asare told the Ghana News Agency at the 2012 Performance Review meeting of the Metro Health Directorate (MHD) that the upsurge of malaria despite the introduction of the Long Lasting Insecticide bed nets and other interventions by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) was a big worry.

He has therefore tasked the Metropolitan Environmental Health Directorate and the Public Health Unit of the GHS to map out new strategies in controlling the disease.

Mr. Kwame Brenya, Metro Information Officer, said the MHD was working to increase the number of Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds in the metropolis in order to decongest the hospitals.

So far, nine CHPS compound are operational whiles some demarcations are ongoing to add about 15 CHPS compounds to the already existing ones.

Mr. Brenya said to better manage information in the various health care facilities the MHD had started a training programme for health staff in data management whiles 17 had already received on site training.