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Mr Kingsley Aboagye-Gyedu, Deputy Minister of Health has called on Ghanaians to help the government in its efforts to eradicate malaria in the country. He said malaria continues to be one of the biggest killers in the country and endemic in every one of Ghana’s 10 regions, accounting for over 75 per cent of Out-Patient cases in most public health facilities.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu made the call at the end of the HFC-Infata Ride Out Malaria Cycling Tour in Accra. The tour, led by Mr Charles William Zwennes, Board Chairman of the HFC Bank, started from Tamale to Buipe, Kintampo to Techiman, Kumasi, Nkawkaw and ended in Accra. It took the participants eight days to complete the 668 kilometre tour, which was aimed at raising funds to support the malaria eradication project.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu, who is also a Member of Parliament for Bibiani-Anwiaso-Bekwai said eradicating malaria requires the engagement of all sectors “to help reduce the health and the economic burden of the country or else our development aspirations will not be realized”.
The Deputy Minister said available data showed that malaria continues to be the leading cause of Out-Patient attendance in the country’s hospitals and death among children under five years, costing the economy a huge sum of money.
Mr Aboagye-Gyedu urged businesses support research, adopt a community and support it to improve malaria outcomes in that community, as well as providing financial support for malaria projects to scale-up malaria interventions throughout the country. He appealed to Ghanaians to keep their surroundings clean at all times.
