The Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health is to partner with the Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to embark upon public education on pneumococcal meningitis.

So far no case of the disease has been recorded in the Region and the sensitization is meant to create awareness about the signs and symptoms, mode of transmission and ways of preventing its spread.

According to the Regional Health Directorate, 16 suspected cases were reported but after intense investigation, it turned out that they were cerebrospinal meningitis (W135), the strain of meningitis that is recurrent in the area.

The decision was taken when the regional members of the Coalition met the new Regional Director of the GHS, Dr Kofi Issah , to interact with him to see how the two bodies could work together to address the health needs of the Region particularly with the outbreak of the disease in some parts of the country.

He said the Regional Health Directorate was on alert and was working assiduously to ensure that the Region did not record any incidence of the disease.

“Even though the geographic position of the Region is very small as compared to other regions, the issues of health needs of the people are very complicated and we need a very key strategic partner like yours, which is regional and nationalistic in character to compliment the efforts of the directorate in tackling the health needs of the people,” Dr Issah stressed.

The Regional Director stated that as part of measures to strengthen the partnership and to enhance information sharing, the Regional Health Directorate was in the process of opening a library where the public, including civil society organizations could easily access information on health whenever they needed it.

Dr Joseph Opare, Deputy Regional Director of Public Health, said as part of the public education, the regional health directorate would empower the coalition to embark upon public health education in the area of early case detection and seeking early health care at the appropriate health facilities.

He gave the assurance that the coalition would also be supplied with public educational materials and urged the members to work very hard in the various communities which they operate.

Mr Alagskomah Asekeya Noble, Regional Chairman of the Coalition, stated that the Coalition which has 24 health organisations registered across all the thirteen districts of the Region has among its mandate to partner with the GHS to improve the health status of the people in the Region.

He indicated that since its inception in 2004, it had embarked upon public education and advocacy to ensure that health policies, structures and systems are maintained.