Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has celebrated World Malaria Day with a call on the general public to resort to the use of mosquito nets and repellants to prevent malaria.
World Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment to malaria prevention and control.
It was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.
The company celebrated the day in two catchment communities of the company; Damang and Huniso under the theme Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.
The celebration brought together community folks in these communities including pregnant women, pupils, opinion leaders, and market women among others to learn about how to prevent malaria.
Community folks were thought how to use a treated mosquito net to prevent malaria and the company distributed mosquito repellant to all participants as well.
The foundation spent seven thousand dollars in the celebration of World Malaria Day in both communities.
Speaking at a durbar to celebrate World Malaria Day at Huniso, the Executive Secretary of the Goldfields Ghana Foundation noted that over the years, the foundation has invested over a million dollars in health interventions some of which include the construction of health facilities among others.
These investments he noted, will yield the desired results if beneficiaries implement various innovations put together by the company to ensure good health in the host communities.
The Prestea Huni Valley Director of Health, Mr Timothy Kobina Ofori congratulated the Goldfields Ghana Foundation for the numerous investments in health in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality and beyond.
He urged participants to practice what was demonstrated so that in the next celebration of World Malaria Day, malaria will reduce in these communities.
Mr Kobbina noted that malaria has a lot of negative impacts on society, even to the extent that one child dies every minute adding that even though one child dies every minute, the disease is treatable. This made him wonder why citizens will not adhere to preventive measures.
According to the Municipal Health Director, because of the gains made by the National Malaria Control Programme the country has gone to a state where malaria can be eliminated, but that he said will depend on citizens adherence to preventive measures.
He added that the discovery of the malaria vaccine is one of the surest ways that can help the country eliminate malaria.
Queen mother of Huniso, Nana Yaa Damoah urged community folks to keep their surroundings clean and sleep under treated mosquito net in order to protect themselves from contracting malaria.
She cautioned community members to visit the hospital anytime they feel sick so that health officials will examine them to see if there is a malaria parasite in their blood in order to give them the necessary medication, and not resort to self-medication.
