No child death from measles in five years

Ho, April 12, GNA - Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Wednesday said that no child had died of measles in the country in the past five years. He described the situation as a tremendous achievement for the service and attributed it to the effectiveness of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS).

Professor Akosa announced this at the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) meeting at Ho.

The meeting, which was mainly devoted to the activities of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Services attracted District Chief Executives, District Coordinating Directors, Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Professor Akosa noted that before 2001, an average of 10 to 15 children died daily from measles. He said with the introduction of the CHPS, the health status of community dwellers had improved.

Professor Akosa observed that the operation of the programme had circumvented the transportation problem the rural folks faced if they had to go to health facilities as the system had brought the health services to their doorsteps.

He noted that apart from the normal health care services that the trained health professionals offered in the communities they also educated the rural folks on family planning, sanitation and first aid. Professor Akosa called on assemblies, chiefs and opinion leaders in the communities to " desire the services" of these nurses through the provision of basic amenities to them.

"The communities should try to look after the nurse because though they are paid, no one would want to be in the communities", he stated, adding that that would strengthen the relationship between the two. Professor Akosa also observed that the success of the National Health Insurance Scheme depended on the premium collectors and urged them to be flexible with the collection.

"You can 'Ghanaianise' the collection and collect it in parts since many of the subscribers are in the informal sector", he advised. "If you do this many will love the scheme and this will help get people out of poverty because poverty is not a choice but a situation", Professor Akosa said.

In a welcome address, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister noted that the Region was now leading the country in the establishment of district mutual health insurance schemes. He said this was through the hard work of the DCE's and their collaborators and urged them not to relax but to do all within their means for the scheme to stand the test of time.