GrowthAid, on Friday 29th January 2021 joined the Ghana Health Service, The Ministry of Health, and other partners in the Commemoration of the World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day 2021 at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
The occasion organised by the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health saw other key partners in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and NTD sectors participate in this celebration. The purpose for the commemoration of the second World NTD Day was to create awareness of the increasing neglect for the NTDs and to advocate for more sustained action. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Face NTDs, End The Neglect” observed on Saturday, January 30, 2021.
The representative for the Minister of Health Designate, Dr. Martha Ansah Lutterodt, speaking at the events indicated that, “The government of Ghana places key high premium on health and other social services. The improvement of the human capital and therefore Health is central to Ghana’s development efforts. She further said, “Health is no longer an expenditure, Health is an investment”.
At the event, the NTD ambassador for Ghana, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee called for the need to collaborate to end the neglect of NTDs. She said, “Ending the neglect requires collaborations, it requires synergies, it requires working together”.
The Commemoration of the World NTD Day 2021 saw a host of partner stakeholders participating in the celebration. Some partners include, WaterAid, Fhi360, GrowthAid and many others. During the event, the Executive Director for GrowthAid, Dr. Joe Lambongang in his delivery indicated that quite some significant progress has been achieved since the celebration of last year. He recounted, for example, that there is a workplan in place to help collaborate to eliminate NTDs. He said, “The workplan might not be perfect, but indeed it is a document that facilitates coordination and avoids functional overlaps and duplications”.
He pleaded with the government to do a bit more in terms of funding in the fight to eliminate NTD. Government’s sustained support in terms of funding will ensure that the reliance on donors is reduced.
Story by: Gideon Obeng Darko, GrowthAid
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