As part effort to help improve the health and nutrition of newborns and children in Ghana, WaterAid-Ghana has launched a programme dubbed “Healthy Start”.
The initiative which is the brain child-pet of WaterAid Ghana is aimed at improving upon water, sanitation and hygiene over the next four years in the country.
WaterAid Ghana, believes that all healthcare facilities in Ghana, especially where women go to give birth must ensure access to adequate potable water and appropriate sanitation facilities.
Since poor hygiene Practices along with the absence of clean and safe sanitation has a devastating impact on the health and well being of newborns and children.
According the Country Representative of WaterAid Ghana, Dr. Affia Zakiya, newborn deaths and child health conditions could be improved if attention is being given to health plans, policies, programmes and practices that
regards water, sanitation and sanitation as a fundamental component of any public health system.
This she said, access to clean water and safe sanitation are basic rights and when combined with good hygiene practices, it constitutes essential building blocks for good health.
“The link between high newborn and mortality and morbidity on the one hand, poor access adequate and consistent supply of safe water, sanitation and hygiene, on the other is apparent. According to the Committing Child Survival Progress Report for 2014, 500, 000 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhea every year.If you count
all the newborn deaths across the globe in 2013, that would be about 2.8 million, says a World Health Organization report” she indicated.
Fifty percent these deaths were caused by infections related to poor environmental conditions.
“WaterAid Ghana’s Health Start, like the National Newborn Health Strategy and Action Plan(2014-2018) is concerned about the health o the nation, the health of our infants.Achieving our goal- giving all our children a healthy
start- is possible”
However, she said to the desired result government must ensure that water, sanitation and hygiene services ( WASH) are embedded in all plans for reducing under nutrition, acute malnutrition, preventable childhood
diseases and newborn deaths.
Adding that, there is a need to be clear monitoring and evaluation indicators which can track the availability access to WASH facilities in health institutions and other public places. In interview with Dr. Salamatu
Attah Nantogma, a Specialist Family Physician at Maaamobi Polyclinic, she said, water plays a very crucial role when it comes to infection prevention especially during and after child delivery.
According her, it is extremely important to have frequent adequate water supply at all health centers, since diseases such as cholera and diarrhea comes when there is no potable or safe water to the people. She has
therefore commended WaterAid Ghana, for coming out with such a laudabl initiative since it could help the country to attain its Millennium
development Goals.
BY : Isaac Kofi Dzokpo
