The government has been charged to review its sanitation policy of a monthly nationwide environmental clean-up exercise.

According to Dr Godfred Andoh of the St Georgina Healthcare and Consultancy, the practice of pouring unto the streets once a month for a clean-up is not the solution to poor sanitation.

“To instill good sanitation practices in Ghanaians, the government should ensure that sanitation laws are duly enforced and whoever disregards the law must be punished accordingly,” he stated.

Dr Andoh was speaking at a free medical screening exercise for residents of Kyirapatre and Fabi in the Ashanti Region. He noted that

“there must be a practical sanitation program in the country and government must have the political will to pass proper sanitation laws”.

He questioned the reason for allowing people to create filth for waste management companies to clean up, instead of preventing the people from creating the filth in the first place.

“Dustbins must be placed at shorter distance so that people will drop their refuse in it and not on the ground, if we are to make any progress in our sanitation issues,” he added.

The free medical screening exercise organised by the St Georgina Health Care and Consultancy was to afford beneficiaries the opportunity for early detection of ill health.

The centre also partnered with St Michael Hospital at Pramso to donate blood to stock the hospital’s blood bank.

Head of blood bank at St Michael Hospital, Isaac Asamoah, said the bank needs an average of 10 pints of blood a day but currently stocks an average of eight pints.

He pleaded with the public to voluntarily donate blood to help save lives.