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Minister disappointmented at guinea
worm resurgence
Tamale, July 26, Ghanadot/GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris,
Northern Regional Minister, has expressed disappointment at
Ghana's inability to eradicate guinea worm.
"I am inwardly shaken and highly disappointed that we cannot
yet announce a break-through in our eradication effort."
"When we were parting after our meeting last year, we
expressed the hope that we would break the transmission this
year but unexpectedly, we have had a major outbreak in the
Savelugu/Nanton District," he said.
Alhaji Idris said this on Wednesday at a mid-year review
meeting of the Ghana Guinea Worm Eradication Programme in
Tamale.
Health experts, donor agencies, DCEs and other stakeholders
from the endemic districts of the region are attending the
two-day meeting to explore areas of collaboration to contain
the disease.
Alhaji Idris said the resurgence of the disease in Savelugu/Nanton
and other parts of the region had impacted negatively on the
socio-economic development of the country and called for
real commitment to eradicate the disease.
He said the region, recording 98 per cent of all guinea worm
cases in the country, was unacceptable.
Alhaji Idris said government would increase its budgetary
allocation for guinea worm eradication from 5.5 billion
cedis (GH Cedis 550 thousand) to 10 billion cedis (GH cedis
one million) in 2007/2008 fiscal year.
Dr Elias Sory, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service,
urged stakeholders to step up their efforts to eradicate the
disease.
He told them to remain transparent in their activities so
that government and donor agencies would appreciate their
work.
Dr Andrew Seidu Korkor, National Coordinator of the Guinea
Worm Eradication Programme, commended the Parliamentary
Select Committee on Government Assurances for its commitment
to help eradicate the disease.
Dr Korkor said he was optimistic that with closer
collaboration, commitment and zeal from the guinea worm
communities, the country could eradicate the disease.
GNA/
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