Adaklu Ahunda (V/R), Sept 12, GNA - Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), the Minister of Health, has expressed disappointment at the "sheer number of Ghanaians who fall sick or die from preventable diseases despite huge investments in the health sector".

He was speaking at a durbar to climax the maiden "Midezor Festival" of the people of Adaklu Ahunda-Boso in the Adaklu Anyigbe District on Saturday.

Major Quashigah said the disease burden was "unnecessarily retarding the socio-economic development and endangering the President's vision of attaining middle-level income status by the year 2015". Maj. Quashigah said the paradigm shift in health delivery was aimed at reducing burden of disease.

The Festival, instituted to mark the founding of Ahunda-Boso by a hunter from Boso in the Eastern Region, was under the theme "harnessing all available resources for accelerated development". Target for the year is mobilizing citizens home and aboard as well as development agencies to upgrade the health post in the area to a health center.

Maj Quashigah said the shortage of staff at health institutions all over the country would improve in three years because of the increase in admissions to all training institutions under the Ministry of Health. Maj. Quashigah advised the people to use the Adidome Hospital while they waited for the upgrading of their health center. 12 Sept 06