You are here: HomeNewsHealth2012 03 14Article 232569

Health News of Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Source: GNA

Cuban pharmaceutical group starts malaria control

LABIOFAM, a Cuban Entrepreneurial Group of pharmaceutical and biological laboratories, based in Ghana, has started an outreach programme to control malaria.

The group which started operations in the country in 2007 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), has been working in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Ms Ismary Ferro Barrios, a member of the group and a Labiofan Specialist, disclosed these at an outreach programme, organized by the group for the Family Outreach Ghana School, an affiliate of the Family Outreach International in Accra.

She said LABIOFAM was working to control malaria in its areas of operations and explained that: “We educate communities on the importance of environmental cleanliness to control malaria.”

Ms Barrios said that apart from Ghana the programme was being implemented in other African countries such as Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania and Nigeria.

She said the programme was adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Ms Barrios said LABIOFAM was committed to achieving its goals by expanding the programme throughout the country and added that “The MOH provides funding for the implementation at country level.”

She said community participation and labour source management was important to the implementation of the malaria control programme.

Ms Barrios said that ECOWAS approved the construction of a Larvicides plant in Ghana, to produce larvicides for the sustainability of the program in West Africa.

Dr George Serrano, Head of the Cuban Medical Brigade in Ghana, said the group would continue to support the operations of LABIOFAM by providing medical assistance in their various areas of operations.

He said the brigade had about 200 medical doctors, who were providing medical services in medical centers in Ghana.

Mr Emmanuel David Tindogo, Head of the Family Outreach Ghana School, appealed to individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the educational institution. **