Scale Up Advocacy on Mental Health

Acting Upper West Regional Minister Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, has called for the stepping up of advocacy on mental health to protect the rights of mental health patients.

Their human rights should not continue to be violated at homes and the treatment centres.

Speaking at the annual review conference of the Regional branch of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health held in Wa, he asked that it upped its game.

“Mobilizing communities for increased access and utilization of immunization services, the role CSOs in the Upper West Region” was the theme chosen for the event.

He also expressed concern about the growing cases of teenage pregnancy in the region.

He said it was something that should engage the attention of the Coalition, adding that, the adolescent girls needed to be assisted to make the right decisions and choices.

He applauded it for the good job it was doing to promote access to basic quality healthcare for everybody, irrespective of geographic location, religious persuasion or economic circumstance.

Mr. Issahaku made reference to the theme and said it was both relevant and appropriate amid bacterial and viral infections that had and continued to claim lives across the world.

“In the north, the yearly infections of cerebrospinal meningitis could be reduced with early immunization of the population against the disease.”

He underlined the need for increased awareness creation about the importance of immunization and access to vaccines, especially in rural Ghana.

He described as unfortunate the situation where some people had been refusing to immunize their children because of cultural and religious beliefs.

That was hampering efforts by the government to eradicate some childhood killer diseases, including measles.

Mr. Dintie Tayiru Sule, Regional Chairman of the Coalition, said the meeting was an opportunity to reflect on their activities, learn from their mistakes and cross fertilize ideas to ensure quality delivery of projects and programmes.

As the nation readied to move beyond aid, there was the need to create an immunization fund to take care of the rising children population.

Source: GNA