By Caleb Kuleke
Ho, Nov. 24, GNA- Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, says the region’s commitment to the course of eradicating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) will be resolute with unwavering political leadership and regional ownership in line with the national objectives.
He said the region would support the integration of NTDs services within the health systems, and prioritisation of fully resourced programmes for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of NTDs.
Dr Letsa who was speaking at a Regional Town Hall NTDs Advocacy Meeting in Ho, said the region would also support mobilization of sufficient finances and making steadfast commitments towards NTDs interventions.
The Minister pledged to use his position to bridge the gap between national authorities and local communities, expediting integrated rural and urban development to foster healthy and prosperous environments.
He said his outfit would orchestrate sector-wide collaboration to enhance the built environment, addressing housing, infrastructure, water and sanitation, and waste disposal efforts to mitigate the transmission of NTDs and other communicable diseases.
There would also be a collaboration with civil society organizations, the national government, the private sector, and key stakeholders to advance the mission of ending NTDs, he said.
Dr Letsa commended the Ghana Health Service, World Vision Ghana, the Intra-country Coordination Committee, and USAID’s Act to End NTDs |West Programme for choosing the Region as its second destination to host the advocacy engagement.
He said only through synchronised and collective action, with each stakeholder fulfilling its role, could the country attain the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and realise the World Health Organisation’s NTDs road map for 2030.
He said the NTDs had historically debilitated, disfigured, and claimed lives, but the conditions had significantly declined over the years… “where the fruits of our hard labour point to the fact that the eradication of NTDs is indeed within our grasp.”
The Regional Minister said the embrace of international targets by Ghana, translating them into robust national strategies, and the committed implementation had been the backbone of the country’s achievements, and the “earnest leadership of this government has been instrumental in this endeavour.”
Dr Chrysantus Kubio, Volta Regional Health Director noted that NTD programmes over the years stood resolute, in its mission to eliminate the diseases by the year 2030.
He said the approach towards elimination was multifaceted, employing integrated and cost-effective strategies, urging partners to focus on the three strategic shifts outlined in the Global NTDs Road Map.
These strategic shifts, he said included, prioritising impact over process, ensuring heightened accountability and holistic health solutions, integrating within national health systems and adopting comprehensive interventions.
It also included bolstering national and sub-national ownership to enhance the viability and sustainability of Neglected Tropical Diseases initiatives.
Reverend Dr Joyce Aryee, Neglected Tropical Diseases Ambassador, implored stakeholders at the meeting to adopt locally-grown strategies to enhance ownership for NTD programming in the Volta region.
“Supporting local approaches to NTDs programming in the region will be further strengthened with regular post-townhall reflection and review sessions to assess the progress of multifaceted efforts within actions,” she said.
GNA