Sandema (Upper East) 15th June 99 ?
The Ministry of Health (MOH) supported by the International Trachoma Initiative and other donor agencies, has started a special programme to reduce the incidence of trachoma in the country.
The ministry is identifying endemic communities for control measures to be put in place in collaboration with the district assemblies, the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation's rural water division, the Department of Community Development, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Ghana Education Service.
This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the Minister of Health, Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor at the national launching of this year's Blindness Awareness Week in Sandema, on the theme "Good eyesight for active ageing".
Mr Nuamah Donkor said even though trachoma could easily be prevented from causing blindness, it has become a major public health problem in the country, especially in the drier areas.
He, therefore, urged people living in communities that are at risk of trachoma to avoid over-crowding, and maintain good personal hygiene.
Mr Nuamah Donkor indicated that the theme for the week-long celebrations has been focused on the aged and the ageing to disabuse the minds of people that old age is a time to suffer from ill health, including blindness.
He said most of the ailments people suffered during old age are direct results of the reckless lives they might have lead in their youth.
"A life of exercise, moderation in eating habits, good health practices, prudent economic behaviour with careful investments, non-smoking and little intake of alcohol will certainly lead to enjoyable ageing," the Minister observed.
He said the eye care programme with the School Health Education Programme (SHEP) of the Ghana Education Service has started training teachers in first cycle schools to identify eye problems in children for early treatment.
Dr Erasmus Agongo, Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, said onchocerciasis, once a major cause of blindness in some parts of the region, has been wiped out under the World Health Organisation's Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP).
Dr Agongo, however, urged the affected communities to be vigilant to prevent the re-emergence of the disease in the oncho-freed areas.
In a welcoming address, Mr Daniel Syme, Builsa District Chief Executive, said the district assembly and the Sandema Presbyterian Community-based Rehabilitation for the Disabled (SPCRD), the District Health Management Team (DHMT) and the Department of Social Welfare, have introduced a programme to rehabilitate the disabled, including the blind.
He said through this partnership, more than 373 people suffering from cataract and other eye diseases were operated upon.