Bolgatanga, Feb. 13, GNA - Mrs. Lucy Awini, Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, has urged Non-

Governmental Organizations, to partner the Health sector in the delivery of quality health services to the

people. The Minister made the call during a regional health forum, organized by the Upper East branch of the NGOs

coalition in health, on Friday, in Bolgatanga. The forum, which was under the theme," Reaching the un-reached, the Role of Civil Organizations in

Achieving Quality Health Delivery", was aimed at addressing the challenges facing the health sector in the

region and finding solutions and strategies to overcome them. The programme, which was sponsored by the Embassy of the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands, was also

to find out how best the Coalition of NGOs in health could fit into the work agenda of the Regional Health

Directorate for 2010 and beyond. The Deputy Minister explained that it was not the sole responsibility of health professionals alone; to

achieve quality healthcare delivery, but that everybody should be involved in healthcare issues since it affects

everyone in society. Mrs. Awini noted that the Region was still grappling with high infant and maternal mortality and morbidity,

which were unacceptable in this era of human development and appealed to the Coalition of NGOs in Health to

collaborate and complement health institutions to embark on pragmatic programmes aimed at reversing the

trend. "You the Civil Society Originations, who have health issues at the centre of your agenda, also have

collaborative and complementary role to play in the achievement of quality health care delivery". She challenged the NGOs in health to develop programmes to educate and sensitize the people on ways of

preventing and controlling diseases and also sensitizing them to know that filth was the major cause of most

sicknesses including cholera, typhoid, malaria among others. "They should also be sensitized to eat less fatty foods, a lot of vegetables, fruits and also keep themselves

physically fit by undertaking some exercise", she stressed. She indicated that Government was more committed to the development of the Health Sector "and that

was why it increased the budget of that sector during this year's budget for the purpose of extension,

expansion, upgrading and equipping polyclinics, health Centres and institutions among others". She said work would soon resume on the abandoned Polyclinic in the Bolgatanga Municipality to open up

people's access to health care. Mr George Pokoanti Wak, a Senior Research Officer of the Navrongo Health Research Centre, said his outfit,

which was established in 1993, has been developing the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance

System, where health data was collected, including the causes of various diseases, their effects and

treatments as well as maternal and infant mortality. He noted that the Regional Health Directorate and other development partners had been relying on the

centre to carry out most of their activities and said the Regional Directorate was among the best in the area of

reducing maternal and infant mortality, due to the collaboration with the research centre. He said the centre's research work had also informed the health policies at the National level and cited the

trial of the Vitamin "A" supplementation, the bed net trial and the Community health based Services Centre

(CHPS) among others. Mr Jonathan Adabre, the Regional Chairman of the Ghana Coalition of NGOS in Health said one of their

major aims, as Civil Society, was to complement the efforts of the Ghana Health Service to improve and

provide quality healthcare to the people. He said "so long as women and children continue to die from preventable diseases and many people remain

without access to health care, as well as the guinea worm problem and the HIV/AIDS menace still refuses to

abate, our work is yet to begin." He emphasized.