General News of Thursday, 4 December 2008

Source: GNA

China donates drugs to fight malaria

Accra, Dec. 4, GNA - The People's Republic of China on Thursday donated anti-malaria drugs worth 300,000 US dollars to Ghana to complement efforts in fighting malaria.

The donation, which took place in Accra was part of the technical cooperation agreement between the two countries. Receiving the items, Major Courage Quashigah, (Rtd) Minister of Health, mentioned malaria control and other health outreach programmes as strategies adopted by government to eliminate the diseases. Major Quashigah said under a two-year contract between the two countries, China was providing medical assistance to some health practitioners in the country to improve their skills. He said sponsorship and health tour packages also existed between both countries which enabled some practitioners to tour health facilities in China to learn about their operations. Giving the assurance that the drugs were tested and proven to be safe, the Minister commended the Chinese government for the donation. Mr. Yu Wenjie, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana said malaria remained one of the major killer diseases in West Africa, the reason for which the donation was made.

He said China cherished her relationship with Ghana, adding that, she would continue to support Ghana in her efforts at bettering the lot of the people. 4 Dec. 08