According to guidelines for the utilization of the district assemblies common fund for 2016 fiscal year, 0.5 percent of the fund should be utilized to support the District Response Initiative for the prevention of Malaria.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZE4F7kmmS6jZ24NsedkdXZDY0ULHZoGS”]But Speaking at a media orientation on the Advocacy for Resource for Malaria Stoppage(ARMS) Initiative  project in Bolgatanga, Upper East Regional coordinator of ISRAD,  Abdul-Razak Issah,  disclosed that, most  Municipal and district assemblies do not  disburse the 0.5% of their common fund to their respective health directorates for malaria prevention activities, leading to high malaria prevalence  in the region.

He said the ARMS initiative seeks to select a group of five people in every six district of the ten regions, to advocate for the release of the 0.5% of the district responsive initiative from the assemblies, to support the Ghana Health Service in their  malaria prevention activities.

“Under the project,  a total of Sixty communities,  ten communities each in six districts in the Upper East Region namely; Bolgatanga and Kassena Nakana municipalities, Bongo, Talensi, Nabdam and Kassena Nakana will benefit from the one year ARMS initiative.

The project will collaborate with the National Malaria Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service to increase citizens oversight of malaria projects in beneficiary communities, leverage local government involvement and funding for malaria activities and establish advocacy groups to support malaria activities at district and community levels”.

Mr. Issah said the one year project  funded by the UKAID, is aimed at increasing diagnosis of malaria before treatment and use of long lasting insecticide nets leading to reduction of malaria cases in the region.

According to the Ghana Health Service, the Upper East Region,  the half year of 2016 recorded 133,763  Out- Patient Department cases of malaria, an increase of 53.7% over last year.

The region also recorded 725 cases of malaria in pregnancy mid-year, compared to last year; but improved in under 5-years malaria fatality rate of 1.0% mid-year, over a 1.4% fatality in 2015.

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By: Frederick Awuni/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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