Gold Fields provides treated bednets for communities
In support of this year’s celebration of the World Malaria Day, Gold Fields Ghana Limited, operating the Tarkwa Mine in the Western Region, has committed GH¢21,525 towards the provision of 750 long-lasting insecticide treated bednets (ITBs) to community members and some schoolchildren in its operational area.
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The Sustainable Development Manager of the company, Mr Robert Siaw, who announced this at the 2017 World Malaria Day Durbar at Samahu in the Prestea/Huni-Valley District recently, advised the people to keep their environment clean and stop practices that increase the breeding of mosquitoes.
In Ghana and most parts of Africa, malaria continues to be the number one Out patient Department (OPD) reported illness.
Available statistics indicate that for every three minutes, a child dies from malaria, which is not just a disease commonly associated with poverty but also a cause of poverty.
Mr Siaw said, "We all know how it is like to be down with malaria. Your work output is reduced; if you are a farmer, you cannot go to your farm, market women cannot go to the market, schoolchildren cannot go to school and the list goes on."
The Sustainable Development Manager said it was unfortunate that mothers and women must stop all economic activities to attend to their children and family members who are down with malaria.
He noted that income was, therefore, reduced and households were plunged into the vicious cycle of poverty and economic deprivation, saying the above scenario was preventable.
Company's commitment
He said for three consecutive times, the company had marked the annual event with different forms of activities, adding that apart from the durbar, there would be a malaria quiz competition for schools in the host communities, mostly within the Prestea/Huni-Valley District, with interesting prizes for all the participating schools.
The Health Services Manager of Gold Fields, Dr Ishmael Sackey, disclosed that a total of 212 million malaria cases were reported worldwide last year, out of which 429,000 died, hence the urgent need to eradicate the disease.
He appealed to the people to report symptoms of malaria such as headache, fever, body weakness among others to the nearest health facility for treatment instead of waiting till the situation got out of hand.
The District Malaria Focal Person, Mr MacJonas Kambe, noted that malaria was a public health condition and that the most important intervention to deal with the spread of the disease was to create awareness among the people.
Mr Emmanuel Tamakloe, the District Director of Health Services, also stated that malaria had been a devastating health problem and the best way to contain the situation was to target the vector mosquitoes by spraying stagnant waters and making one’s surrounding clean.