Tema, Jan 7, GNA - The Environmental Health Department of the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA), in collaboration with the Ghana National Traditional Caterers Association (GTCA,) have embarked on an exercise to subject food handlers in the area to medical examination to ensure that safe food was sold to consumers.

Mr Peter Amuzu, Chief Environmental Officer of the department, told the communicable diseases to consumers.

With a medical team from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, over 600 food handlers were screened and some were found to have typhoid fever, malaria, Sexual Transmitted Diseases, diarrhoea and worm infestation. The food handlers drawn from Tema communities One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Adenta and Ashaiman were treated. Mr Amuzu said the exercise would be extended to Kpone and Tema Manhean and advised all food handlers to strictly abide by the tenets of their job by observing personal and environmental neatness to be sure that they did not transfer communicable disease to their consumers. He said the Inspection team of the department had intensified its inspection of shops, bars and restaurants and that those found contravening TMA's bye-laws on health would be dealt with. Mr Amuzu advised food handlers to let their workers to have periodic medical examination for the issuance of certificates to be sure of their health fitness.

In November 2007 Evert Quarshie, a food seller at Ashaiman, was put before court for preventing her employees from going for medical examination and also operating under unhygienic conditions.