The Ho Municipal Health Directorate has launched its 2022 Child Health Promotion Week celebrations in the border community of Shia.
A durbar held at the Shia Health Centre, which Togbe Dadzawa III, Paramount Chief of the area, chaired, gathered the entire community on the theme, “Child Safety and Security,” and featured various stakeholder organizations associated with health and safety.
These included the Social Welfare Department, the Ghana Red Cross Society, the National Road Safety Authority, and the security agencies, who took turns to sensitize children and their parents on various safety considerations.
Ms Morkporkpor Zottor, a representative of the Regional Health Directorate, said a child’s health should be secured as early as the pregnancy stage, which would require the support of male partners.
She encouraged parents to continue prioritizing immunizations and other services, which remained crucial to the good health of children and to also consider the strict use of insecticide treated bed nets in keeping clear of malaria.
Launching the celebrations, she noted that the theme considered broadly, the safety precautions needed within the modern child environment, and called to be mindful of the use of electricity and other hazardous elements including household chemicals that could be mistaken for edibles by naive infants.
The efforts of men who support the neonatal healthcare were commended, and two from the community were awarded certificates and prizes among exceptionally committed nursing mothers honoured at the launch.
Ms Shine Gavey, Ho Municipal Health Promotion Officer, who coordinated the programme, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the Directorate is resolved in tandem with the Ghana Health Service to encourage fathers to support maternal care, and that the recognition was expected to help sell the concept.
She said a downward trend in maternal deaths and infant mortalities gave credence to sustained health promotion and sensitization programming including the annual child health week celebrations.
Mrs Victoria Kpelly, Ho Municipal Director of Health Services, in a speech, said the maternal and infant mortality rates continued to diminish, and that concerted efforts placed the municipality on course towards a zero rate.
Children of the community held a float through the principal streets to herald the event and later delivered a drama skit at the launch focused on encouraging both parents to prioritize child health services.
Togbe Dadzawa appealed to stakeholders to provide the health centre of the community with the needed tools and personnel to help meet the expanding care needs.
The weeklong celebration would be marked in all health facilities and would be distinguished by community durbars, street processions, dedicated child health services, birth registrations, radio sensitization and house visitation activities among others.
NGOs including child-focused Hope for Future Generations, and the Coalition of NGOs in Health joined forces with the Municipal Health Directorate on the event, which also received support from the Electricity Company of Ghana, as well as some notable businesses in the Municipality.
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