Partnership, effective coordination: key to NTDs

THE World Health Organization (WHO) has lauded the financial commitments of national governments across the African region to address the impact on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

The who Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, made the commendation in a speech read on his behalf by the Ghana Representative, Dr Idrissa Sow, at a three-day regional consultative forum to identify measures that would scale up interventions to control or eliminate NTDs in the Africa 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.

Earlier in his welcome address, the acting Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Frank Nyonator , was of the opinion that the workshop would mark a turning point where NTDs would be placed on the same level of priority as other public health programmes.

That, he said would allow public health policy makers and development partners to devote equal attention for NTDs.

The Chairman of the WHO Committees on Onchocerciasis, Tropical Diseases and Mosquitoes, Professor David Molyneux, who opened the programme, indicated that NTDs have accounted for an estimated 534,000  global deaths annually.

“In many communities, mothers and children are infected with soil transmitted helminthiasis, anaemia and other complications as the disease progress,” he said.

He challenged endemic countries to ensure ownership of the programmes by committing themselves to the accelerating intervention measures being put in place.

The WHO, he said was committed to supporting the country’s coordination mechanisms and expressed the hope that the massive support being rendered by stakeholders would yield results.

The Minister of Health, Mr Alban Bagbin, bemoaned the lack of capacity development, research on drugs and lack of coordination within the endemic countries.

That, he said was informed by many leaders describing the NTDs as a symptom of poverty, deprivation and being disadvantaged.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed June 27, 2012