By Juliet Aguiar DUBGARTEY, Tarkwa
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation in partnership with the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Health Directorate Ghana has joined the world to celebrate 2024 World Malaria Day at Tarkwa Senior High School in the Western Region.
The celebration, was on the theme “health equity, gender and human rights”. The occasion, was used to educate the students on malaria and its prevention, inter-house quiz competition, demonstration on the usage of mosquito net and repellents, distribution of mosquito nets as well as presentation of 1,000 pieces of repellent.
Abdel-Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of Gold Fields Ghana Foundation in his remark noted that statistics on malaria, is not encouraging; “although, there have been a lot of impact in this direction, more need to be done by stakeholders in the sector”.
He pointed out that awareness creation needs to continue so that the country, does not lose the human resource.
“At Gold Fields, health is of much importance us, as it can affects your physical mental and emotional well-being. That is why we need to take steps to prevent certain diseases, hence the need to invest in this programme”, he said.
The Foundation, he said since its inception has spent $6.2 million under the health sector, to promote effective and efficient health care delivery.
He encouraged the students to make good use of the mosquito repellent, donated by the Foundation to help in the prevention of malaria.
Clement Amankwah, Western Region Malaria Focal Person noted a lot has been done on awareness creation over the years but currently, the focus is on elimination, which is the best way to go.
According to him, children under age five, pregnant women and individuals with weak immune system stands high risk of getting malaria.
“For pregnant women, if you a diagnose of malaria, you stand a high risk of getting a pre-term baby, miscarriage, underweight baby among others” he said.
Therefore, he advised all to visit the hospital when they are sick and ensure that their environment is clean and the use of mosquito net and repellent becomes a practice on daily basis.
He observed that there have been some significant reduction in malaria cases in the Western Region. The region recorded four malaria death in 2023 as compared to higher figures in previous years.
Wilhelmina Tiwaah Duah, Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Health Director mentioned that in the Western Region, malaria remains the first on top 10 OPD attendance.
However, she said in Tarkwa Nsuaem, there has been a strong commitment towards elimination through combined effort of stakeholders.
Over the past year, she said the municipality has witnessed notable reductions in key malaria indicators.
“OPD malaria cases decreased from 12,156 in the first quarter of 2023 to 11,631 in the first quarter of 2024. Malaria admissions of children under the age of five also declined from 3.6% to 3.2%
Malaria in pregnancy have notably declined from 543 to 255 in the same period. Malaria burden index has seen a substantial decrease from 53,879 to 49,987, she explained.
“Let us all come together to reaffirm our commitment to the theme of this year’s celebration: “health equity: the cornerstone for achieving malaria elimination in Ghana”.
She said despite significant progress in recent years, the burden of malaria still weighs heavily on communities, affecting the health and well-being of the people, especially the most vulnerable.
“Achieving health equity lies at the heart of our efforts to eliminate malaria. It requires that every individual, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location, has access to the tools and interventions needed to prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria effectively. It demands that we address the underlying factors that perpetuate health disparities, such as poverty, lack of education, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure” she said.
“We aim as a directorate to improve upon diagnostics and laboratory services within the municipality. Only two out of eight health centres in the municipality have functional laboratory, and we hope to change this trend through effective stakeholder engagement. As stakeholders in the fight against malaria, we must recognize that our collective success, hinges on our ability to work together synergistically. Collaboration between government agencies, non-profit organizations, the private sector, academic institutions, and local communities is essential, if we are to achieve meaningful and sustainable progress towards malaria elimination” she added.
She urged students of Tarkwa Senior High School to become ambassadors for malaria prevention and control in their communities.
“Your energy, creativity, and passion are invaluable assets in this fight. By raising awareness, promoting healthy behaviors, and advocating for change, you have the power to make a tangible difference in the lives of those around you”, she said.
Benjamin Kesse, Municipal Chief Executive of Tarkwa Nsuaem was hopeful that the education and demonstration on the prevention of malaria, will go a long way to eliminate the disease.
George Oduro, Head Master of Tarkwa Senior High School commended Gold Fields Ghana Foundation for their continued support.
