Tamale, June 18, GNA - The Rotary Club of Tamale in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Notfolk District of Virginia, USA, has presented 38,800 pieces of rapid diagnostic kits valued at over 50,000 dollars for the detection of malaria to the Northern Regional Directorate of Health Services (RDHS).

The diagnostic kits are meant for distribution to the Community Health Post Centres (CHAPS) and public and private health centres in the Northern and Upper East Region, to assist them to carry out early detection of malaria for rapid and effective treatment.

Mr. Joseph Mumuni, President of the Rotary Club of Tamale who made the presentation of the diagnostic kits to the RDHS in Tamale on Friday, said it was part of the social responsibility of the Club to assist in the eradication of malaria, which was endemic in the region. He expressed gratitude to the Rotary Club of Notfolk for their assistance and urged the RDHS to take proper care of the items and ensure that they got to the communities for which they were meant. Dr. Akwasi Twumasi, Northern Regional Director of Health Service, said about three quarters of a million cases of malaria where suspected in the region last year alone, but this could not be confirmed because the health centres lacked the appropriate equipment to diagnose malaria cases. He said in 2008 and 2009, 502,000 and 70,800 respectively of unconfirmed malaria cases were reported in the region, and expressed the hope that with the donation of the diagnostic kits, malaria cases would now be quickly detected for early treatment.

The Director of Health Services thanked the Rotary Club of Tamale for their assistance, and commended the Club for always consulting the RDHS to know the areas where the directorate needed assistance before coming to their aid. He expressed the hope that such partnership would continue for the benefit of the two institutions. He said the Rotary Club of Tamale had earlier donated the state of the art microscope to the health service and also assisted greatly in the eradication of guinea worm in the Region.