Konongo (Ash), Jan. 22, GNA- A three-day maintenance training course for hospital orderlies and wards on environmental sanitation and repair works opened at the Konongo government hospital on Wednesday. The course, which is being attended by 25 participants from the Konongo and Juaso government hospitals, is part of series of training programmes for orderlies and officers in charge of all government health institutions in the Ashanti Region.

It is being organised by the Estate Management Unit of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) with funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

The aim is to build the capacities of the participants to ensure proper environmental sanitation in their institutions and equip them with skills to perform well.

Addressing the opening session, Mr Isaac Adu Botchey, Ashanti Regional Facilitator of the Environmental Sanitation and Minor Repairs project of the GHS, said the GHS had adopted planned preventive maintenance as a policy, and was currently training all its staff to enable them to do minor repairs at their institutions.

He said the move was to ensure regular maintenance of health infrastructure to prolong the lifespan, and also reduce cost of replacement and rehabilitation.

Mr Botchey said 545 participants were expected to benefit from the training course, adding that, staff in Mampong, Ejura, Agroyesum, Juaben, Kokofu, Bekwai and Obuasi hospitals had already benefited from the course.

Dr Frank Yirenkyi, the Medical Officer at the Konongo government hospital, commended the GHS for instituting the programme. He said Orderlies and other health workers played significant roles in health delivery system since they ensured environmental cleanliness in hospitals.