Rotary Family Health Day benefitting 50 communities

The National Rotary Family Health Days Programme is underway for the benefit of 50 communities in the Volta, Central, Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Northern, and Greater Accra Regions.

“Community members will receive condoms; HIV counselling and testing; family planning education; screenings for tuberculosis and diabetes; blood pressure checks; childhood vaccinations and vitamin A supplements; deworming; and eye health testing,” a statement issued by USAID-Ghana, has said.

It said through its implementing partners, it was supporting the Rotary Family Health Days with logistics, commodities, and communications, for the programme.”

The First Lady Rebecca Akufo–Addo; representatives from the Ministry of Health; representatives from Rotary International; and the USAID-Ghana Mission Director, Ms Sharon L. Cromer, participated in the programme after it was launched at the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, in Accra on February 20.

Since 2014, the statement said, Ghana’s Rotary Clubs had held Rotary Family Health Days, in partnership with governmental and non-governmental organisations, to provide health screening services to vulnerable children, women, and men in the urban and peri-urban areas, benefiting more than 119,000 clients.

This year’s event, which would end on February 24, is titled “Healthy Families, Healthy Communities.”

Ms Cromer said last year alone, USAID provided $71 million support for life-saving health interventions in Ghana.

USAID’s support to the Government of Ghana, is utilised for the betterment in the conditions of malaria, HIV, Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation, and Social Protection.

“We aim to contribute to the country’s sustainable development by expanding the quality and delivery of health services,” it quoted Ms Cromer.

“One way we do this is by partnering with private sector organisations like Rotary International.”

The statement said in the Western Region, USAID and Rotary had partnered with Coca-Cola to provide safe drinking water to a local community in Prestea.

The U.S. Government, it said, had a long history of working with Rotary International to improve the health status of Ghanaians.

Previous partnerships focused on improving access to water and sanitation facilities such as, family and institutional latrines and boreholes.

In 2003 and 2016, USAID signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Rotary Clubs in Ghana committing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.”

USAID is the lead U.S. Government Agency that works to end extreme global poverty to enable resilient, democratic societies to realise their potentials.

USAID has supported Ghana in increasing food security, improving basic health care, enhancing access to quality basic education, and strengthening local governance to benefit all Ghanaian people.