Poor sanitation is a threat to NHIS - Demedeme

Koforidua, July 15, GNA - Naa Lansen Demedeme, National Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation Services of Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE) has stressed the need to improve on environmental sanitation in the country to sustain the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He noted that Ghana was almost at the crisis point in the management of environmental sanitation because out of every 10 diseases reported at health institutions eight were environmentally related and this should be reversed.

Naa Demedeme made the call at the opening session of a day's workshop for 130 Sanitation Guards from nine districts in the Eastern Region at Koforidua.

He said poor sanitation could thwart efforts of Government to fight poverty because most of the people would fall and increase the medical bills for treatment.

Some of the major reasons for the poor environmental sanitation problems in the country, he observed were ignorance and inefficient enforcement of laws and regulations on sanitation due to inadequate environmental officers in the country.

Naa Demedeme said it was for these reasons that MLGRDE introduced the Sanitation Guards concept under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to support Environmental Health Staff to carry out their mandate and ensure a clean and decent environment to promote good health and socio-economic well being of the citizenry. He explained that the Environmental Guards concept was not part of the Waste and Sanitation Module of the NYEP but a programme being introduced to help improve sanitation in towns, cities and communities to bring about change in hygienic behaviours, attitudes and practices among the people.

Naa Demedeme said the project was initiated and tried at Techiman Municipality in Brong Ahafo Region with the first 40 guards and it was successful hence the decision to extend it to the other 138 Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts in the country. He explained that, the project was still at its pilot stage because the personnel required to carry out the job was not sufficient but optimistic that when it succeeded society would request for more personnel to be trained.

Mr Richard Amofa, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of NYEP, said the programme formed part of Government's determination to provide employment to the youth. He advised the participants to be disciplined, take their course serious and respect Sanitation Officer in their communities. 15 July 07