|
Irregular migrants to be
screened
Takoradi Oct.29, GNA -
The Western Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service
(GHS) is to screen irregular migrants for HIV/AIDS and other
diseases, Dr Linda Vanotoo, the Regional Director of Health,
announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference at Takoradi, she said the
programme would start in the Shama District with free
counselling and testing for migrants to know their HIV
status on October 30 this year.
Dr Vanotoo said those who test positive would be introduced
to clinic to access care and also join groups to receive
support and screening for tuberculosis.
She said the screening programme would help reduce the
spread of diseases as irregular migrants are prone to
diseases including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis A and B, and
Tuberculosis.
Dr Vanotoo said irregular migration could be self-imposed,
smuggled or trafficked and the health of the migrant could
be affected by the host as well as the destination country
health structures and systems.
She said health risks are assumed by the individual during
the pre-journey, migratory and arrival phases.
Dr Vanotoo said there are no records of people who have
returned to the country from irregular migration and the
diseases they brought along.
She said there were also no records of proportion of
diseases attributed to migration and no system was in place
to cater for their specific needs on their return to the
region.
Dr Vanotoo said the screening programme forms part of the
GHS collaboration with the International Organisation of
Migration (IOM) to highlight the health hazards of irregular
migration, provide health information and service to the
returning migrant and allocate space and human resources for
HIV/AIDS voluntary counselling and testing.
GNA
|
