By Dennis Peprah
Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/R), July 17, GNA – The MIHOSO International Foundation has trained 22 health workers and five community volunteers to help identify, treat and manage skin-neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the Dormaa Municipality of the Bono Region.
The Foundation which is a human rights and social development organization is partnering BasicNeed Ghana, another NGO to implement the two-year project on skin-NTDs to enhance the quality of life of vulnerable and affected people in the municipality.
Titled, “Building Civil Society Coalition to Advocate an Integrated Approach to Control Skin-NTDs and Enhance the Quality of Life of Vulnerable and Affected People in Ghana”, the project sought to contribute towards prevention, control and elimination of the NTD’s infection, ameliorating the mental health and psychosocial impact of debilitating the disease and social stigma.
Addressing the closing session of the day’s training held at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Mr Stephen Nyarko Ameyaw, the Dormaa Municipal Director of Health explained the skin-NTDs, particularly buruli ulcer, yaws and elephantiasis were common in the area.
He, however, expressed concern about high public stigmatization and discrimination associated with the NTDs in the area, and urged the health workers and community volunteers to do more to control the public stigma.
Mr Ameyaw dispelled the wrong public perception that NTDs were linked to witchcraft or family curse, a notion he added, was fueling stigmatization, saying the disease had no link with spirituality.
He said when detected early, the NTDs could be managed or treated, and advised the people to refrain from hiding affected persons and instead support them to seek medical attention at nearest health facilities.
Throwing more light on the project, Mr Thomas Benarkuu, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations, MIHOSO, said the two-year project implementation would greatly contribute to progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and skin health for all.
It would enhance health and well-being, eliminate discrimination and exclusion, deepen human rights, and improve participation and productivity.
Under the project implementation, Mr Benarkuu said self-help peer support groups of people with skin-NTDs would be established to promote self-care and for peer emotional support to members and other affected persons and develop and widely disseminate materials on
skin-NTDs to create public awareness in the municipality.
He called for support from the project implementing communities to help identify and support affected people to access medication.
GNA