Takoradi June 27, GNA- Dr George Sipa Yankey, Minister of Health, on Friday launched the Western Regional Mosquito Control Programme in Takoradi with a call on the people to co-operate with the government to eliminate mosquitoes to prevent malaria infection. He said the control and elimination of malaria was a top priority of government, in view of the fact that 760 million dollars was spent annually on the treatment of the disease.

Dr Yankey noted that some countries have completely eliminated malaria and Ghana could do the same by controlling the breeding of mosquitoes and protect people from mosquito bites through the use of treated nets.

He said every Ghanaian must be involved in the elimination of malaria because mosquitoes do not indiscriminate on political and ethnic lines.

"Mosquitoes do not know National Democratic Congress or New Patriotic Party man or woman," he stressed. Dr Yankey said it should be the collective efforts of the people to keep the environment clean and prevent stagnant waters from breeding mosquitoes.

He advised the people to stop taking choroquine for the treatment of malaria because the drug has become ineffective. Dr Yankey said government would construct more health facilities to meet the growing needs of Ghanaians and rehabilitate existing ones. To this effect government would give a facelift to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.

Dr Yankey asked the people to relegate their political affiliations to the background and work together as a team to develop the Western Region and the country as a whole. Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Regional Minister, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council, Zoomlion Ghana Limited and the Ministry of Health were collaborating to promote a massive spraying exercise to kill mosquitoes.

He said no amount of mosquito spraying exercise would eliminate the malaria vector unless the people develop a positive attitude by keeping the environment tidy.

"We could be part of the solution to the insanitary conditions in our environment, which contribute to the breeding of mosquitoes which in turn makes us sick of malaria".