Wa, Sept. 6, GNA -An amount of Eight point six (8.6) million Ghana Cedis, was spent in the treatment of sanitation-related diseases, reported at health facilities in the Upper West Region, last year. This, according to the health authorities, strained the finances of the various Mutual Health Insurance schemes in the region. Out of this amount about GHC7, 427,351 were spent on patients on admission, while GHC1,254,117 took care of out-patients. These diseases included malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Alhaji Abu Yahaya, Chairman of the Upper West Regional Health Committee made this known at Wa, at the closing session of a one-week course for sanitation guards, drawn from Wa Municipal, Wa East, Wa West and Sissala East districts.

He said during the period, 208,309 patients reported at these facilities with malaria, while 29,494 and 10,537 patients suffered from acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea respectively. These diseases, Alhaji Yahaya said, were ninety per cent preventable, if the people changed their behaviour and attitudes concerning sanitation.

He called on the government to invest heavily in sanitation in order to arrest the huge money that was constantly expended on medical care and the man-hours lost as a result of diseases that could be prevented.

Mr Emmanuel Volsuri, Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoom Lion Ghana Limited, said 90 Sanitation Guards had so far been trained in the region and that they have been provided with the necessary logistics and bicycles as well as uniforms to enhance their work. He said Zoom Lion organized the training programme to impart in the participants, the relevant skills and knowledge, to enable them to carry out their duties effectively. The Guards are expected to assist Environmental Health Officers in hygiene education and promotion, inspection of premises, dissemination of sanitary information, supervision and monitoring of sanitation services. 6 Sept. 09