Interventions made for attainment of MDG4

Daily Graphic (Back page) April 29/10

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
THE Ghana Health Service (GHS) has put in place various interventions to ensure that the country achieves the fourth goal of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDG4 calls on countries to reduce under-five morality by two thirds and the GHS is aiming at reducing the country’s under five mortality from 80 per every 1000 live births to 40 per every 1000 live births.
At a media briefing to highlight this year’s Child Health Promotion Week, which is organised annually by the GHS, the National Child Health Co-ordinator, Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, said some of the interventions were the administration of Vitamin A supplement for children from six months to 59 months, routine immunisation and the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), as well as the weighing and registration of children under five years.
The Child Health Promotion Week, which will begin from May 10 to 14, 2010, will be on the theme: “Men on Board for Healthier Children”, and it is aimed at focusing on men to improve the health and survival of children in the country.
The rationale for focusing this year’s theme on men is that they are key decision markers but most of them do not take active part in seeking health care for their children. The week is therefore aimed at educating and encouraging men to be strong advocates and partners for the health and development of their children.
Dr Sagoe-Moses said the GHS and the Ministry of Health were working at overcoming challenges that would impede the attainment of MDG4 in collaboration with developing partners and other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
She said the challenges included the high morbidity and mortality rate of children under five, the difficulty in giving special attention to new-borns, how to ensure that key interventions reached the targeted population and also addressing harmful cultural beliefs and practices.
Dr Sagoe-Moses said the health sector had evolved initiatives that would improve the range of interventions and coverage to address those challenges.
Those initiatives include the introduction of new vaccines, malarial control and new drugs, child health promotion weeks, high impact of rapid delivery approach, integrated measles campaign and integrated maternal and child health campaigns.
She said the GHS would continue with the Child Health Promotion Week to ensure that the gains made were sustained.
The Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry, Mr Steven Kwaku Amoah, said in an address that it was imperative that parents ensured that their children were registered at birth so that the state made provision for their education and health needs, among others.
Two fathers from the Osu Fathers Support Group, a group that encourages men to support their wives through childbirth and care, called on other fathers to ensure that they got involved in the care and upbringing of their children.