Accra, Sept. 30, GNA - Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), Minister of Health, on Friday advocated that the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports incorporate into the school curriculum the teaching of nutrition. He said by so doing, people would be avoiding sickness, be healthy and would be creating wealth through health.

Major Quashigah said this when he inaugurated New Crystal Clinic at Ashiaman, near Accra. The Clinic, situated on the first floor of the Post Office building, near the Ashiaman lorry station provides both orthodox and herbal medicines.

Major Quashigah expressed worry about the number of Ghanaians dying from preventable and avoidable diseases and said; "the disease burden is unnecessarily retarding our socio-economic development and endangers the President's vision of attaining middle income status by the 2015".

He noted that the proposed paradigm shift in health titled: "Creating Wealth through Health", would reduce the burden of diseases and provide quality and accessible health care to all Ghanaians. He urged health professionals to be abided by the philosophy of the oaths they undertook when they were first sworn into office, which stressed on service to humanity, professionalism with conscience and dignity among other things.

Major Quashigah asked the Member of Parliament for Ashiaman; Tema Municipal Health Directorate and the residents of the area to ensure cleanliness, eat good food and create time to rest. Dr Wisdom Amegbletor, Medical Director of the Clinic, said the high population, demanded such a clinic to serve their health needs. He said the Clinic would be combining orthodox medicines with herbal medicines prepared and provided by Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine, Mampong, Akwapim.

"The rich store of knowledge bequeathed to us by our ancestors that unfortunately we have not derived the maximum benefit from, would be combined with advances in science and technology of the western civilisation."

He appealed to Tema Municipal Health Directorate to help the Clinic to set up an HIV/AIDS treatment centre to provide anti-retroviral therapy to the residents of Ashiaman and its environs.