Sekondi (W/R), Dec. 01, GNA - The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Health Director, Dr Teddy Kofi Avotri, on Tuesday, decried the behavior of the head pastor of the Lord's Christ Church, for thwarting the efforts of health personnel

The Pastor is alleged to have prevented health personnel from immunizing and administering measles and Vitamin 'A' supplements to children under five years in his church.

He therefore called on the government to come up with a legislation to restrain individuals and religious bodies from preventing health personnel from administering health care services to children in the country. Dr. Avotri made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Sekondi, on the recent National Measles and Vitamin A Supplement Immunization campaign.

The Metro Health Director suggested severe punishment or penalty for individuals who would prevent the administration of health care services to children in the near future, to serve as a deterrent to others. The Metro Disease Control Officer, Mr Nicolas Adomako, said the metro health directorate achieved 90.27 percent coverage, which involved 63,147 children under five years, during the November 3 to 6 immunization campaign. He said the health directorate opened 80 fixed centres, 20 mobile teams and 20 CHIP Compounds in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and engaged 393 health volunteers and 131 vaccinators for the campaign.

Giving the breakdown of the various sub-metro coverage, Mr Adomako said, 20, 999 children were immunized in the Effia-kwesimintsim sub-metropolis, 15,640 at the Essikado-Ketan sub-metropolis, 16,545 in the Sekondi sub-metropolis and 9,970 children in Takoradi.

He noted that, the metro health directorate could have achieved a higher percentage if the radio stations in the metropolis had given adequate air time towards the promotion of the immunization exercise.