Project to prevent hepatitis among GAF personnel launched
The 37 Military Hospital has launched a project aimed at preventing hepatitis among personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
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The project comes at a time the GAF are experiencing a high mortality rate among its personnel due to hepatitis B and C.
Dubbed “Forces Liver Health Protection Project (FLiHP),” it is intended through various health education programmes, screening and treatment, to initially reduce the current death rate from hepatitis B and C among personnel of the GAF and, eventually, prevent occurrence.
Speaking at the launch of the project, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Obed Boamah Akwa, said the disease had not only taken a heavy toll on the finances of the GAF, but was also claiming the lives of personnel and some of their dependants.
The hospital also launched its one-year-long 75th anniversary at the programme.
The Forces Liver Health Protection Project forms part of the programmes lined up for the anniversary celebrations.
Other activities lined up include workshops/lectures, medical screening and outreach for the public and medical staff, blood donation campaigns, talk shows, anniversary parade, mini-trade fair, dinner dance and a thanksgiving service..
Although the number of cases was not disclosed, Major General Akwa said the hospital envisioned to reduce hepatitis in the Army by 50 per cent by 2020.
37 Military Hospital
The Commander of the 37 Military Hospital, Brig Gen Ralph Kodjo Ametepi, said the hospital now served as the government’s emergency response health facility and, therefore, was the centre of action in the event of major disasters in the country.
Furthermore, he said the hospital was now a United Nations Level IV Military Medical facility, which provided health care for UN soldiers and workers from conflict areas in the sub-region.
Challenges
Enumerating some of the challenges of the hospital, the commander said the hospital was unable to meet the expectations of all its clients due to inadequate logistics and consumables to meet the “escalating” number of patients who visited the hospital.
“Most of the equipment has outlived their lifespan and we are ever so often confronted with frequent breakdowns. Maintenance of equipment has now become a hydra-headed monster that one has to confront every day,” he said.
In order for the hospital to give its best, the commander said it needed retooling and, therefore, called on government establishments and corporate organisations to come to its aid.
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Kenneth Adjei, in an address, said the 37 Military Hospital had distinguished itself in its central role in providing quality health care during national disasters despite its logistics and manpower challenges.
He commended the hospital for its immense contribution to health care over the years, and added that construction work on the second Military Hospital, in Kumasi, was progressing steadily.