THE Government has committed GH¢1.8 million as its contribution to the prevention and control of endemic Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across the country.
That according to the Health Minister, Mr Alban Bagbin, was meant to ensure the total eradication of other equally worrying diseases, which tended to affect mostly the rural poor.
“Much as we have made gains in the eradication of guinea worm and the elimination of trachoma, there is the need to improve on and extend coverage of the control and elimination activities,” Mr Bagbin said.
He was speaking at the opening of a three-day African regional consultative forum on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Accra.
Over 100 experts,policy makers and heath leaders who are attending the session would discuss ways of scaling up interventions to control or eliminate NTDs in the Africa Region of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Representatives of endemic countries, donor agencies, pharmaceutical firms, the WHO and other partners attending the forum would, at the end of the session, agree to, among other things, on coordination mechanisms at the national and regional levels for NTDs programme implementation.
The forum would inaugurate an NTDs Advisory group at the end of the three day session.
NTDs are a group of tropical infections which are especially endemic in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Snail fever, also known as schistosomiasis, Elephantiasis (Lymphatic filariasis), Trachoma, River blindness, (onchocerciasis) and Buruli ulcer have all been identified as NTDs.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of these diseases as a group is comparable to malaria and tuberculosis.
The minister indicated that a phenomenal increase in advocacy and awareness on NTDs with improved support for disease control programmes had seen Ghana on the verge of eradicating Guinea Worm and Trachoma.
“We are at the post elimination surveillance phase for four districts that are endemic for lymphatic filariasis”, he said, adding that officials were aware of the successful elimination efforts of onchocerciasis in other countries of the WHO African region.
Mr Bagbin, however, bemoaned the lack of capacity development, research on drugs and lack of coordination within the endemic countries, following many leaders description of the NTDs as a symptom of poverty, deprivation and disadvantaged.
While lauding the WHO for announcing former President John Kuffour as a global ambassador and advocate for NTDs, he expressed the hope that the inauguration of the Technical Advisory Group would help scale up monitoring and preventive chemotherapy.
The Chairman of the WHO Committees on Onchocerciasis, Tropical Diseases and Mosquitoes, Professor David Molyneux, who delivered the technical keynote address, observed that although NTDs affected some one billion people worldwide, a fraction of six per cent of resource allocation was the only dedication to the fight.
“Some 680 million people received treatment for NTDs in 2011 alone, and that should, therefore, serve as a wake-up call for donor partners, public taxpayers, non governmental organisations, as well as national governments to assume full responsibilities for sufferers,” Prof Molyneuxe said.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, in a speech read on his behalf by Ghana’s Representative, Dr Idrissa Sow, commended the financial commitments on the part of national governments across the region.
“Genuine partnership and effective coordination of initiatives and actions are key to improving the efficiency and effectiveness for the control and elimination of these poverty-related diseases,” he said.
Dr Sumbo also called for transparency in programme management and information sharing among member countries.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. John Gyapong, who chaired the programme, called for the development of national plans and better coordination among partners towards the common goal of the elimination of NTDs.
SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue June 26, 2012
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