Anglogold Malaria Control project targets 40 districts

  from Musah Umar Farouq

AngloGold Ashanti Limited has targeted 40 districts in the Upper West Region for the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of mosquitoes under its five-year malaria control project being supported by the Global Fund.

The project is being funded with a budget of $133 million in some districts in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Central and Ashanti regions.

The Upper West Operational Manager of the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Programme, Mr. Abraham Takorah, said it was expected that a total of 3,800 jobs would be created over a period of five years.

He said at a stakeholders meeting at Nadowli that the project had already begun in the Wa Municipality, Wa West and Wa East districts, and would gradually be extended to other areas.

The Operational Manager expressed regret that malaria had become a great source of concern, and that despite efforts to fight the disease, it still brings untold havoc to Ghanaians.

He, therefore, appealed to people in the beneficiary districts to cooperate with sprayers under the project, by allowing them to spray their rooms when they visit their communities.

Mr. Takorah recalled that the project was initially started at Obuasi upon the realisation that there had been a consistent increase in malaria cases at the AngloGold Hospital, with the majority of those affected being workers.

He said the project was then initiated and piloted, and within a few months, the cases had drastically reduced.

“It was as a result of this that AngloGold, being a good corporate citizen, decided to extend it to other parts of the country, as its social responsibility,” he added.

Mr. Takorah commended the Ghana Health Service and other stakeholders for their support and role in combating malaria.

The Nadowli District Director of Health Services, Mrs. Florence Ansongwine, noted that when the malaria control programme succeeds, it would have a dramatic impact on health, productivity and the well-being of the people.

She, therefore, commended AngloGold for the support, but expressed concern about the increase in non-communicable diseases, particularly, high blood pressure.

The Health Director appealed to the Nadowli District Assembly to allocate one per cent of its District Assembly Common Fund to malaria control activities.

Madam Ansomwine said Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution enjoins all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to commit a percentage of the District Assembly’s Common Fund to malaria control initiatives and other areas of concern, and appealed to all stakeholders to also educate people on the need to sleep under treated mosquito nets.

Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=47507