Patriotism Should Drive Us To Common Prosperity

Mr Ernest Nyagbe, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Director, has urged Ghanaians to urgently revive the spirit of patriotism for nation building by adopting practices that promote physical health, environment sustainability and productivity at work.

He said continuing the in the present situation where citizens sought material gain in every endeavour, and thus ignored problems that they could easily solve when they did not see any direct benefit, would undermine the President's drive towards achieving a Ghana Beyond Aid.

Mr Nyagbe made the remarks when he opened the quarterly meeting of the Greater Accra Public Health Emergency Management Committee Meeting, on behalf of the Regional Minister.

The Committee, made up of representatives of diverse State, traditional and Non-Governmental bodies, is tasked to plan prevention and control interventions against diseases; review trends of cases, events and deaths; organise simulation exercises to test operation plans; identify important resources needed for rapid epidemic response, among others.

Mr Nyagbe said it was important for members of Committees across the nation to be committed to seeing that their recommendations had been implemented at the end of their work to improve society; otherwise there would be no justification for setting up any committee.

'We set up Committees all the time, members deliberate and make important recommendations but they don't follow up to see the necessary results, so why should there be another committee? Is it just for the sitting allowance?' he asked.

He advised residents of Greater Accra to adopt healthy waste management and hygienic practices to prevent epidemics such as cholera and yellow fever, especially with the onset of the rains.

Dr John Eleeza Deputy Regional Director of Public Health, (Ghana Health Service) said it was important for members of the Sub-Committees, which meet weekly, to position themselves to arrest any disease, which could become an epidemic, explaining that with the free movement of persons around the globe carriers could easily spread diseases across barriers.

'These days, it is possible for someone to take his breakfast in one country and his dinner in another so you can imagine how diseases can easily spread; we, therefore, need to be very vigilant and proactive,' he said.

Giving an overview of the Epidemiology Situation of the GAR, the Regional Surveillance Officer, said the suspected cases of Cholera, Yellow Fever, Polio and measles, that were reported from the districts had all proved negative upon verification.

GNA