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27.09.2014 Editorial

Uncoordinated And Unsustainable

By Daily Guide
Uncoordinated And Unsustainable
27.09.2014 LISTEN

We have observed the recent frantic yet insignificant efforts being made by the city authorities to keep the rampaging cholera outbreak at bay.

While we consider the efforts an official acknowledgment of the existence of the health challenge by the relevant authorities, we are not amused at all at the uncoordinated response so far.

The first response – when the death toll started to mount – was the destruction of the Mensah Guinea slum close to the beach, even as the mother of all slums in the nation's capital stands boldly by actions of officialdom.

We find the patches of response laughable, considering the extent of the outbreak so far and the fact that the underlying factors of poor garbage disposal management in the city of Accra have not been addressed.

A couple of days ago, another move taken by the authorities and which made the usual Public Relation (PR) headlines for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), was the destruction of 30 eating joints, otherwise called chop bars, at the Sodom and Gomorrah slum.

It is important observation that the destruction was limited to the chop bars and not the general area hosting the joints and which is a potential source of cholera.

We consider the action as a knee-jerk reaction to an emergent health challenge over which the authorities have been taken unawares. It would definitely be a short-term measure soon to be shelved after the publicity stunt.

The long-term measures needed to obviate a future recurrence are out of the equation – beyond the reach of the authorities.

Of what use is the exercise when other food joints continue to produce food in the same slum – some of which would be taken to other parts of the city for sale to innocent persons?

It would not be surprising if after the exercise some of the food sellers relocate deeper in the bowels of the complex slum to continue the business; and trust us, they would be offered sanctuary by their willing patrons.

The story which captured the imagination of readers yesterday was about how a leading Chinese restaurant in the city showed below acceptable food hygiene practices in their kitchen. The lessons we are learning from what the team saw when it visited the kitchen of this restaurant Рwhich name we are withholding Рis that the fa̤ade of the so-called high-notched restaurants can be deceptive.

It behooves the relevant authorities therefore to continue to visit such facilities with a view to ensuring that the good practices are played out.

What the authorities have not done, which is very important, is stopping the production of vegetables along the major gutters of Accra because the gardeners use water from these drainages to water the plants. Since these vegetables are consumed fresh, they are important sources of cholera and other diseases.

The last but not the least is educating consumers about being cautious about what they eat. A sustainable inspection of food production sources should be embarked upon by the city authorities. The haphazard approaches won't work.

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