WFP presents items $65,000 items to MOH

Tema, Feb. 25, GNA- The World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday presented items worth 65,000 US Dollars to the Ministry of Health for its Supplementary Feeding and Health and Nutrition Education programme, at a short ceremony in Tema.

The items included 17 motorbikes, 26 sets of cooking utensils, 100 height measuring instruments, 100 weighing trousers, 100 birth weight indicators and 10 infant springs.

WFP Country Director, Mrs Trudy Bower-Pirinis who presented the items said the world body and the Government are finalising an agreement for a health and nutritional programme, which spans 2006-2010. The programme will take care of the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children.

It will also strengthen the capacity of the personnel of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in nutrition education, growth monitoring and HIV/Aids awareness and other vital health services. Mrs Bower-Pirinis expressed the hope that the items especially the motorbikes would improve on the monitoring and evaluation capacity of the GHS District Nutrition Officers.

Mr Moses Dani Baah, Deputy Minister designate at the Ministry of Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiative, said nutrition was a very important component of child development and commended the WFP for the kind gesture.