Government committed to guinea worm eradication - Minister

Accra, June 22, GNA - Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, Minister of Health, on Thursday reiterated the government's commitment to eradicating the guinea worm disease.

"There is every indication that the government is seriously committed to a programme of eradicating the disease and this is manifested in the prompt manner with which the government released funds this year towards addressing the problem", Prof. Danso-Boafo told Parliament during "Question Time" in the House.

He said financial commitments to the programme this year are a 200 million-cedi government budgetary allocation, which has already been allocated and disbursed to the various districts and 240,000 dollars from "Global 2000", a non-governmental organisation.

The Minister explained, however, that the programme is currently running on external resources provided last year, which include a 500 million-dollar UNICEF financial assistance and a Japanese government support of 60,000 dollars, two vehicles and an electric generating set.

On what basis the funds towards the eradication programme is allocated, Prof. Danso-Boafo responded that allocations are made based on identified cases brought to the attention of the Ministry, adding, "this is not done arbitrarily.

Asked about how the Ministry is addressing the preventive aspect of the disease, he said this is done through a number of measures including the provision of potable water and making filters available to communities.

Additionally, he said the Public Health Education Unit of the Ministry educates the public to appreciate the need to observe health habits of filtering or boiling drinking water and ensuring that people with open guinea worm wounds do not step into sources of drinking water.

To another question, the Minister indicated that there is a mechanism to monitor the rate of success of the guinea worm eradication programme.

On the number of neurosurgeons currently operating in the country, Prof. Danso-Boafo told the House that there are three of such specialists, two of whom are working in the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital while the third is in private practice but also operates in the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

Asked what measures the Ministry is taking to ensure that the country has a good number of such specialist doctors, he said that there is currently one neurosurgeon who trained in the country.

The Minister said that he is being sponsored for a one-year attachment in Canada with an opportunity to undertake sub-specialist training in spinal neurosurgery.

There is also one trainee neurosurgeon undergoing the West African Post-graduate Medical Training while four young Ghanaian doctors are currently being trained in Cuba with one in Russia for a similar training under scholarships provided by the governments of the two countries.

Prof. Danso-Boafo told the House that it is the priority of the Ministry to ensure that a local post-graduate medical college is established to train specialists including neurosurgeons.

He said the sector would also pursue the training of neurosurgeons in Cuba and other countries, which provide cost-effective and quality training.

In an answer to another question, he explained that all school clinics are partly managed by polyclinics, which have outlined priority projects in view of insufficient funds.

The questioner wanted to know why the Ablekuma Salvation Army School Clinic in Accra has been neglected in terms of renovation and equipment.

The Minister assured the questioner that the priority projects of the Polyclinic include the Ablekuma Health facility and said, "very soon, it will get to the turn of the Salvation Army School Clinic".

GNA