By
Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA
Accra, Jan. 8, GNA –
Some young Ghanaian advocates have been selected from 10 regions of the
country, to be trained to help in malaria eradication advocacy, under a project
called the “Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health”.
The 11, young
people, aged between 18 to 35 years are to be trained under a programme being
implemented by a United Kingdom-based organisation, Results UK, in partnership
with the Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a non-governmental organisation in
Ghana, and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).
The youth advocates
are billed to travel to Ethiopia on January 26, to be trained in a five-day
training programme so they come back to
influence decision-makers to scale-up malaria financing, in a bid to
accelerate efforts at eradicating malaria in Ghana to a zero point.
The latest World
Malaria Report 2019 put Ghana as one of the 10 highest malaria burden countries
in Africa.
Ghana has however,
been able to reduce malaria deaths to about 75 per cent while new infections of
malaria keep increasing due to people’s attitude towards the use of insecticide
treated nets, and reduction in funding, experts have said.
Also, many countries
are said to be now experiencing increases in malaria cases after 15 years of
consistent declines in malaria cases and deaths, with the last three years
recording slow progress in cases.
Mrs Cecelia Senoo,
Executive Director, HFFG, who had earlier sent a delegation of the project
implementers to pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Health and the Ghana
Health Service, said the one-year youth advocacy programme was being
implemented in Tanzania and Sierra Leone as well.
She said the
Ghanaian advocates were selected from 200 applicants who applied for the
training programme would, after the training in Ethiopia, be involved in a
variety of advocacy activities like potentially developing and launching a
Universal Health Coverage campaign during the election periods in their countries.
They would also be
talking to world leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
Rwanda.
Mrs Senoo said in
all, 25 advocates were to be trained in the three countries to become “vibrant
advocates for Malaria”, adding that the initiative was an African one aimed at
using home grown knowledge that could produce results.
Dr Kezia Malm,
Programme Manager, NMCP, said Malaria still remained the number one cause of
outpatient attendance and costs the nation and individuals’ lots of money and
resources.
She said Ghana had
over the years rolled out many interventions together with donor partners in
dealing with the disease, but it had become necessary to increase domestic
funding to fight the diseases due to dwindling donor support.
Dr Malm emphasized
the need to increase domestic resources in the fight against the disease,
saying, “If you look at how we have progress with decreasing malaria deaths, we
just need to push things more and not do things as usual to get to the zero
point”.
She said the partnership
of the young malaria advocates was very welcoming since they would help in
advocating and mobilising the necessary public-private sector support towards
zero eradication of malaria infections and deaths.
She said going
forward, the NMCP would work towards revamping the Ghana Malaria Foundation to
mobilise more funds as well as follow-up on the 0.5 percent District Assembly
common fund earmarked towards malaria programme in the country.
GNA
