Kumasi, Oct 27, GNA - A Principal Midwife at the Manhyia District Hospital in Kumasi, Mrs Millicent Afful, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce sanitation by-laws with a firm hand.

This, she said, has become necessary to halt the worsening insanitary conditions, which posed serious health risks. She made the call when she spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi.

Mrs Afful said it was important the assemblies and environmental NGOs stepped up the education campaign to encourage the people to keep their surroundings clean. It should not be lost on anyone that if Ghana is to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on health, environmental sanitation necessarily would have to improve.

She complained about the rising cases of malaria at the Out-Patient Department (OPD) of the Hospital and attributed this to insanitary practices.

To help roll back the malaria diseases, the hospital has launched a health education outreach programme to assist the people to maintain acceptable level of environmental sanitation. Mrs Afful said the facility was doing this in concert with some religious organizations.