Principal Public Health Officer and the Head of Disease Control in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) Constituency in the Central Region, Mr. Charles Bonney Ghartey has charged pastors, traditional healers, and prayer camps in Ghana to consult health professionals in their treatment of skin infected diseases.

He enlightened that not every detected skin disease is spiritually inclined as widely perceived in the country by most pastors and herbalists.

Mr. Charles Bonney Ghartey stated this at a day training for Chiefs and Health Volunteers on skin Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at Ntranoa, a suburb of Elmina in the KEEA Constituency by the Hope for Youth and Women Organization (HYWO), a non-governmental organization based in Elmina.

The training forms part of activities for a two-year project titled “Mobilizing Community Efforts to Contribute to the Achievement of the Ghana Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Master Plan 2021-2025 in Controlling, Eliminating, and Eradicating Skin NTDs in Three Districts Across Ghana.” To wit, has the KEEA Municipality as one of the three project districts.

The project is funded by the Anesvad Foundation Spain, having the Pan African Organization for Research and Protection of Violence on Women and Children (PAORP-VWC) as its lead implementing partner, with the Ghana Health Services and Target Communities posing as collaborating partners to the widely hailed project.

The Public Health Officer emphasized that since the human skin turns to reveal every disease believed to be spiritually inclined, provides the need for pastors and prayer camps in the country to liaise with health professionals in getting lasting solution to NTD cases they often deal with like Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis), Yaws, leprosy, Buruli Ulcer, onchocerciasis, trachoma among others.

Dorcas Awotwe, CEO for HYWO in an interview with Sompa TV's Eric Annan, highlighted NTDs to be diseases whose casualties usually have little or no knowledge as to what they are suffering from, let alone the money to be used in curing themselves.

She bemoaned the fact that persons living with skin Neglected Tropical Diseases, often suffer stigmatization which forces them to distance themselves from the public to remain indoors, only to end up spreading the communicable disease to close relatives.

The HYWO CEO recounted that for this reason, the skin Neglected Tropical Diseases project has been introduced to sensitize the general public that NTDs are curable with potent medications scattered across health facilities in the country.

She appealed on the public to discard all forms of trolling on affected NTD patients, as that sort to escalate dangers associated with their diseases.

Nana Kweku Ntsen V, the Chief of Ntranoa and Guantuahene of the Edina Traditional Council, extolled organizers for the programme which he relayed to have helped in the reduction of NTDs among his people, having had Ntranoa selected as one of the seven (7) communities in KEEA were the project is been witnessed.

Sompaonline.com/Eric Annan