Two bodies partner to ward off mosquitoes at Ridge Hospital
A nationwide programme initiated by Inesfly Africa, the insecticide paint manufacturer, in conjunction with the Ahaban Foundation, an NGO, to protect the public from malaria and other vector-borne diseases in health institutions has been extended to the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
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The programme is targeted at controlling and preventing mosquitoes in hospitals and clinics through the application of Inesfly insecticide paint which also kills insects such as flies, cockroaches and bedbugs.
At the Ridge Hospital, the Chief Executive Officer of Inesfly Africa, Mr Michael Sjodin, has led volunteers from the Ahaban Foundation to paint the Accident Centre with insecticide paint which has the capacity to ward off mosquitoes for at least two years.
Malaria is a challenge in hospitals in the country and it is the objective of Inesfly to help the Ghana Health Service (GHS) fight the problem.
Malaria
Malaria is a major health problem globally, with Africa as the most endemic region.
According to the 2015 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, there were 214 million new cases of malaria worldwide in that year.
Africa accounted for 88 per cent of the global cases of malaria, followed by the South-East Asia Region (10 per cent) and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (two per cent).
In 2015, there were an estimated 438,000 malaria deaths worldwide, with 90 per cent of them occurring in Africa.
In Ghana, about 10 million malaria cases were recorded in 2015, contributing to about 38 per cent of outpatient attendance at hospitals.
Public-private partnership
Speaking to journalists at the Ridge Hospital, Mr Sjodin stressed the need for strong public-private sector collaboration to fight malaria, stressing that his outfit was ready to play a part in that respect.
He said already the Inesfly/Ahaban collaboration had resulted in the application of insecticide paint at the Tema, Adabraka, Princess Marie Louise and the Aburi hospitals and the feedback was encouraging.
The Project Director of Ahaban Foundation, Ms Khadija Torbay, described the partnership with Inesfly Africa as a positive move.