By Mohammed Awal awalm19@gmail.com
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong has appealed to Ghanaians to support efforts by the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development to rid the country of filth, which has resulted in the worst Cholera outbreak ever recorded in thirty years.
As at 13th October, this year, according to Dr. Emmanuel Dzotsie, a public health specialist with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), in an interview with The Chronicle said: “Cumulatively a total of twenty-two thousands, eighty-seven cases (22,087) were recorded, including one hundred and twenty-four (124) deaths, giving it a case fatality rate of 0.8% -involving 107 districts across the ten regions.”
Dr. Opuni-Frimpong told The Chronicle in a telephone interview yesterday that the initiative by the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Mr. Julius Debrah is “very much welcomed” and that the CCG identifies fully with it.
He said the country is grappled with sanitation issues which should be seen as a national canker that “affects all of us,” noting that “we us leaders of the Christian Council identify with what the minister is doing because it is good and godly.”
The General Secretary of the CCG urged Christian leaders to mobilize their members to observe the NSD which comes off this Saturday, he said physically the leader must also be in attendance.
Prosecute sanitation bye-laws flouters
On October 16, 2014, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development launched the National Sanitation Day (NSD).
The day would be observed every first Saturday of every month across the country, and the first of this will be on Saturday November 1, 2014.
The NSD seeks to encourage the public to take greater responsibility at improving their environment and ensure that laws promoting good sanitation are respected.
The Vice-president of Ghana, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, who launched the NSD, themed: “Environmental Sanitation, a shared responsibility,” called on the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to prosecute people who flout sanitation bye-laws.
A move in the right direction
Dr. Opuni-Frimpong said the Minister (Julius Debrah) deserves recognition for moving the country towards the right direction to address sanitation problems.
According to Dr. Opuni-Frimpong, the minister’s action should not go un-noticed, adding that “if we have a leader who says that let’s solve this problem –for us it’s a welcoming news.”
He urged Christians to identify themselves with the laudable idea of ridding the country of filth as initiated by the minister and support him to succeed. Education key to success Dr. Opuni-Frimpong noted that intensive public education would be very important in ensuring that Ghanaians do not flout the sanitation bye-laws.
In view of this, MLGRD signed a memorandum of Understanding with the information service Department (ISD) to embark on an “intensive educational campaign” throughout the country to sensitize the public on the need to ensure a clean environment.
Per the MOU, ISD is expected to deploy its tools, logistics and personnel within all MMDAs in the country, in an effort to complement other initiatives, through massive educational campaigns.
First reported in June 2014 in the Accra Metropolis, the Cholera outbreak in Ghana is rapidly becoming the deadliest disease ever witnessed in about 30 years.
Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=81933
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