The Ghana Environmental Health Officers’ Association (GEHOA) has instituted an annual environmental health and sanitation promotion campaign.

On the theme: “Kick cholera out of Ghana; the role of the Environmental Health Professionals (EHPs),” a three-week programme for the 2015 campaign has been set in motion with the establishment of a National Planning Committee to steer the action plan

The programme, which would be commemorated annually, is being spearheaded by the Local Government Workers Union of Trade Union Congress.

The GEHOA is an association of EHPs in Ghana established in 1976 with the aim of promoting interchange of professional knowledge among its members.

Mr William F. Goku, General Secretary of GEHOA, made this known on Thursday during a meeting of stakeholders in sanitation and health sectors in Accra.

He said the campaign has been engendered by the devastating effects of the frequent outbreak of sanitation related diseases such as cholera, malaria, typhoid, and helminthic infestations as well as other diarrhoeal diseases.

He said: “As professionals destined to improve the sanitation situation in our sub-region and for that matter our country Ghana we feel vilified for the occurrence of such diseases in this millennium and its attendant economic loss to the country.”

Mr Goku said records show that about 78 per cent of diseases reported at the hospitals are sanitation related and more seriously poor sanitation is costing the country $ 290 million annually, according to a World Bank Report.

“Records also show that cholera outbreak in 2014 which affected over 23,600 people was estimated to cost the country not less than $ 13.3 million excluding other economic implications,” he said

He said statistics available also indicated that Ghana has met the millennium development goal target on water, however, sanitation still lags behind and “we are of the view that a concerted efforts is required to tackle the issue of sanitation, which currently stands at 14 per cent, according to the Joint Monitoring Platform.

Mr Goku said the campaign is to complement the ongoing national sanitation campaign embarked upon by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

He said if the campaign programme is successful sanitation related diseases would be significantly reduced among the vulnerable; especially women and girls who bear the burden of the disease outbreak.

The economic loss to the country would also be meaningfully preserved while the information gaps among principal stakeholders as well as the public would be bridged thus increasing collaboration for effective and efficient service delivery.

It would also rejuvenate the spirit of professionalism among the environmental health practitioners to provide good sanitation services.