Tamale, June 18, GNA- The Rotary Club of Tamale in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Norfolk, District of Virginia, USA, has donated 38, 800 pieces of rapid diagnostic kits to the Northern Regional Directorate of Health Services (RDHS).

The donation estimated at $50,000 and meant for the detection of malaria diagnostic kits would be distributed to the Community Health Post Centres as well as public and private health centres in the Northern and Upper East Region.

Mr Joseph Mumuni, President of the Rotary Club of Tamale who made the donation in Tamale on Friday said it was part of the social responsibility of members to assist in the eradication of malaria which is endemic in the region.

He expressed gratitude to the Rotary Club of Norfolk for their assistance and urged the RDHS to take proper care of the items and ensure that they got to the communities for which they were meant for. Dr Akwasi Twumasi, Northern Regional Director of Health Service said about three quarters of a million cases of malaria were suspected in the region last year alone but this could not be confirmed because the health centres lacked the appropriate equipment to diagnose malaria cases. He said in 2008; 502,000 cases of unconfirmed malaria cases were reported and 70,800 in 2009.

Dr Twumasi thanked the Rotary Club for the assistance and expressed the hope that the partnership would continue. He said the Rotary Club of Tamale had earlier donated the State- of- the- art microscope to Ghana Health Service and also assisted in the eradication of guinea worm in the region.