Bolgatanga, May 29, GNA – The Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA), a Non-Government Organization (NGO) working in Northern Ghana has supported six Municipalities and districts in the Upper East Region to fight and stem the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other hygienic materials including boxes of hand sanitizers, hand gloves, nose marks, gallons of liquid soap, hand washing buckets with taps, megaphones among others were donated to twelve health facilities in the beneficiary areas.
The beneficiary facilities are Anateem and Yorogo-Kunkua health facilities in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Barabari, and Asikiri health facilities in the Bawku Municipality, Punyoro and Pinda health facilities in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.
The others are Kpatia and Gbani health facilities in the Talensi District, Gaane-Songe and Ngobare health facilities in the Nabdam District and Tariikom and Kopella health facilities in the Bawku West District.
At a brief ceremony in Bolgatanga to hand over the items to the beneficiaries, Dr Michael Wombeogo, the Director of PARDA, said PARDA, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, was implementing a COVID-19 response project in the region to contribute to the efforts to defeat the pandemic.
The total cost of implementing the project, which is about GH¢165,000.00 was being funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Director disclosed.
The project would further partner with the GHS to train more health professionals in the beneficiary health facilities to help address the pandemic.
Dr Wombeogo said as part of the project, education materials were also distributed to the beneficiary health facilities and traditional leaders, to be posted at their facilities and palaces to educate citizens about the pandemic.
“Moreover, PRADA and GHS will collaborate to embark upon public health education programmes in communities in the region to help reduce the spread of the disease. I, therefore, want to call on traditional and religious leaders to support the cause”, Dr Wombeogo indicated.
He said COVID-19 radio jingles in local languages including Kassem, Kusal, Gurune, and the English language had been developed and urged the media to support by using their platforms to help educate more communities to help fight the pandemic.
Dr Josphet Nyuzaghl, the Deputy Director of Public Health, UER, who received the items on behalf of Dr Winfred Ofosu, the Regional Director of the GHS, and gave them out to the respective District Directors of the beneficiary health facilities, lauded the efforts of the NGO and its funding partner.
He stated that due to funding gaps, the government alone could not tackle serious health issues such as the COVID-19 and urged other development partners and individuals to contribute to the fight.
He also urged members of the public to desist from stigmatizing survivors of the virus to enable them to reintegrate well in society.
GNA