Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has called on mothers and caregivers to prioritize the well-being of their children. He emphasized the need for vigilance regarding children's nutritional needs, vaccinations, and growth rates, which are crucial for their overall protection and future well-being.

Promoting Child Health

The tour began at the Abokobi Health Centre and Child Welfare Clinic (CWC), followed by a visit to the Agbogba Outreach Centre. The latter, operating within a church premise, offers services such as immunization, weighing, nutritional education, family planning counselling, COVID-19 vaccination, and birth registration.

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye commended health workers for their dedication and urged them to enhance their services. He stressed the importance of educating caregivers on child nutrition and monitoring growth rates. "It is important to check the growth rate of their children, to see if the child is doing well or not. Educating them on the type of food to eat and when to eat is very critical," he stated.

Monitoring Progress

During a media briefing, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye highlighted the need for the GHS to monitor the progress and challenges of the CWC services to improve operations. He noted that the densely populated Ga East Municipality requires additional outreach centres to better serve the community.

COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

The team also visited the Taifa Community within the Ga East Municipality, where COVID-19 vaccines were being administered. Dr. Kuma-Aboagye explained the ongoing efforts to achieve herd immunity, with a target of fully vaccinating 20.7 million people. "So far, we have about 57 per cent of the population fully vaccinated and 71 per cent who have taken one shot only, which means we still have a large population to cover," he noted.

Within two days of the campaign, 40.1 per cent of the target had been achieved. Dr. Kuma-Aboagye expressed optimism that public participation would increase, helping to exceed the target and ensure total protection for all citizens.

Public Health Appeal

Dr. Frankline Asiedu Bekoe, Director of Public Health at GHS, urged mothers and the public to adhere to safety protocols and participate in vaccination campaigns. He reminded everyone that the virus is still present, emphasizing the importance of vaccines as the most trusted measure for disease prevention.

Accompanied by Key Officials

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye was accompanied by several key health officials, including Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of Public Health; Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achianu, Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI); and Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu, Director of Health Promotion. Other notable attendees included Dr. Michael Adjabeng, Surveillance Officer at WHO Ghana; Dr. Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health; and Dr. Selorm Botwe, Municipal Health Director of Ga East.

This concerted effort highlights the GHS's commitment to improving child health and ensuring widespread vaccination coverage to protect the health of all Ghanaians.

Source b www.ghanaweb.com