Join in the promotion of preventive health care - Prof Adjei

Kumasi, March 2, GNA - Professor Ohene Adjei, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), has urged church leaders to join in efforts at helping Ghanaians to adopt healthy lifestyles. Effective health care delivery, he said, must be seen as a shared responsibility and that the pulpit should be used to sensitize the congregation on preventive health care.

This would help bring down the high rate of preventable diseases like malaria, water and air-borne diseases, as well as sexually transmitted infections.

Prof Adjei made the call when The Reverend Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, Chairperson of the Asante Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), and the leadership of the church, called on him in Kumasi. They were there to seek the assistance of KATH in the promotion of the church's health outreach programmes. Prof Adjei complained about flagrant disregard for the hospital's "visiting hours" and the smuggling of unauthorized medication including herbal concoctions to patients, which he said had forced the facility to institute stringent security measures. The Rev Opuni-Frimpong commended KATH for the good job it was doing to save lives.

He said the church was happy to have had long standing relations with the hospital, and that the two institutions had been collaborating to promote community health and education on communicable diseases. He announced their decision to hold a presbytery conference in April, this year, to reflect on their achievements and challenges, and plan for the future. 02 March 10