Two patients die of cholera

Mamponteng (Ash), Nov.01, GNA - Two out of 34 people have died from cholera within the Kwabre district since the outbreak of the epidemic in the Ashanti region early October this year. Dr Yeboah Awudzi, District Director of Health, who announced this said most of the patients were from Ahwiaa and Atimatim communities. He was briefing the Social Services Sub-Committee of the assembly on health and cholera outbreak in the district at Mamponteng. Dr Awudzi said the rest were treated and discharged at various health facilities in the district and in Kumasi.

He said the cholera situation in the district was under control and education on the outbreak had been intensified.

Dr Awudzi said health institutions in the district had been equipped with drugs and intravenous infusion to manage cholera cases and therefore appealed to the people to report symptoms of cholera to the nearest health facility for medical attention.

He told the meeting that information available indicated that unregistered health facilities and quack medical doctors were operating within the district.

Dr Awudzi therefore, called on the committee and the assembly to co-operate with the directorate to clamp down on such criminals in the area because their activities could affect quality health care delivery. He asked the assembly to expand some of the health facilities and complete on-going projects in the health sector in the district. Mr Samuel Nyatefe, leader of the District Water and Sanitation team, briefing the sub-committee said, the Community Water Sanitation Agency had approved 81 boreholes for the district. He said the assembly was expected to pay five per cent for each of the boreholes at a cost of three million cedis and 2.5 million cedis each for 19 institutional places of convenience in the district. Mr Nyatefe called on the assembly members to support the assembly in the provision of better sanitation and good environmental hygiene by encouraging beneficiary communities to construct household VIP places of convenience.

Madam Felicia Owusu-Seiwah, Chairperson of the sub-committee, called on the assembly to support communities that had begun with self-help projects on education.