Prestea, March 2, GNA – Tuberculosis, is still a major disease plaguing residents of the Prestea-Huni Valley District. In 2010, a total of 170 new cases were detected, with Prestea Himan, Abosso and Bogoso recording a total of 160 cases. These three communities are noted for 91galamsey’ operations and two persons died from tuberculosis from Prestea alone within the same period. Mr. Lambert kwaku Ankomah, Disease Control Officer of the Prestea Huni Valley district, announced this at a stakeholders review meeting at Bogoso on Monday. He said Abosso recorded 26 Yellow fever cases as against 39 recorded by Huni Valey in 2008. Mr. Ankomah said the unit would increase its training of community based volunteers to assist in community surveillance, the reporting and detection of yellow fever and yaws. Mr. Samuel Twum Andoh, District Health Information Officer said Out Patients’ attendance at many health facilities in the district reduced from 75,649 in 2009 to 71,769 in 2010. He attributed the decline to lack of a district national health insurance scheme coupled with the inconveniences people have to encounter to travel to adjourning districts to have their insurance cards renewed. Mr. Andoh said discrepancies in the registration and renewal procedures of the NHIS could have led to the rejection and cancellation of some people’s health insurance and thereby making them lose interest in the scheme or visiting a health facility. He therefore appealed to NHIS operators to harmonise their operations to ensure that many more people are hooked unto the scheme, to make it easier for them to patronize the scheme.
Source: GhanaWeb
