Accra, Aug 27, GNA, - Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Health has appealed to Japan to support Ghana to scale up family planning, especially in the rural communities to control child birth and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

He commended the Japanese Government for the establishment of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, which has contributed to the reduction of infectious diseases in Ghana. These are contained in a statement signed by Mr Dan Osman Mwin, official of the Ministry, and copied to GNA on Friday in Accra. This followed a courtesy call by the new Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Naoto Nikai, on the Minister, to formally introduce himself to him.

The release praised the Government of Japan for its high level development in Information and Communication Technology. The statement said the Government of Ghana has solicited Japan's assistance in strengthening the operations of the National Health Insurance Authority and the health insurance schemes with regards to record keeping.

It said the Government of Ghana has praised the Government and people of Japan for their support through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The Agency has established Community Health Planning Services compounds, notably in the Upper West Region, which had been replicated in all districts nationwide to bring health care to closer to the people. The statement commended Japan for its continuous support for Ghana even in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which rocked that country.

It indicated that a committee would be set up to revamp Ghana's disaster response and ambulance systems, to bring them up to international standards and to prevent needless deaths. The statement said Nikai, indicated that Japan was prepared to help strengthen Ghana's health systems, especially maternal and child health, to enable Ghana to achieve the Millennium Development Goals Four and Five by 2015.

It said the Ambassador noted that Japan has abundant experience in health systems and the country was ready to share that experience with Ghana.

The statement said a Japanese delegation would arrive in Ghana soon to hold discussions with their Ghanaian counterparts to identify areas for Japanese support.

It said that a Japanese medical doctor and an expert in disaster response would arrive in Ghana soon to organize workshops to strengthen institutions such as the National Ambulance Service and National Disaster Management Organisation.