Work of 'Samansaman' not recognized

Sumburungu (U/E), June 26, GNA - Students of the Accra School of Hygiene on Thursday complained of poor resources allocated to schools of hygiene to train students to manage environmental health challenges. This, they said, was the cause of the poor performance of environmental health officers that many think are no more in existence but are really very much present in the system and working unsatisfactorily.

"Many people are calling for the reintroduction of Sanitary Inspectors popularly called "Samansaman" but these environmental health officers have not gone anywhere. It is because they lack resources at the school to train properly and on the field to function satisfactorily", they said.

Mr. Michael Ewurah, President of the Students Representative Council (SRC), said this at the National Quadrennial Congress of the Ghana Environmental Health Officers Association (GEHOA) held at Sumburungu near Bolgatanga.

The congress attracted 250 delegates from all over the country to deliberate on the performance of Environmental Health Workers and plan for the future.

Mr. Ewurah said environmental health and sanitation are very significant to the country as it affected the health status of the people.

"The present situation calls for a change to our approach in handling hygiene and sanitation issues as a nation". He called on the public to take cleanliness seriously and clean their surroundings including gutters regularly instead of waiting for someone to do it for them.

"When everyone begins to recognize environmental hygiene and sanitation as their duty, thereby actively participating to promote and maintain it, it would go a long way to reduce the worrying number of patients who flock our hospitals", he said.

Mr. William Mensah, General Secretary, Local Government Workers Union, said the work of the environmental officers had become more relevant than ever since towns and cities are expanding and larger populations put more pressure on the environment.

"In the situation where cleanliness or proper sanitation is acknowledged to be cardinal in the new search for wealth in its various phases, particularly through tourism as an industry, the Ghana Environmental Health Officers Association should certainly be at the forefront in its efforts to clean our surroundings of filth", he said.