Programme to fight against malaria launched

Saturday, September 5, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 32)

By Rebecca Kwei
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey has called for the commitment and support of all in the fight against malaria.
Dr Yankey was speaking at the launch of Team Ghana-United Against Malaria (UAM) in Accra.
The UAM is a campaign involving football teams and heroes, celebrities, health and advocacy organisations, governments and corporate organisations to unite through sports to support the global fight against malaria.
It is also directed at strengthening political and public will in donor countries to increase malaria programming and funding.
The health minister said malaria was a bane to development and pledged the Government’s commitment to do everything possible including vector control and clinical treatment to help eliminate the disease.
Dr Yankey reminded personalities and organisations that “as we sign up to Team Ghana-United Against Malaria, we are making a decision to make a difference. It is a decision to change the course of the disease, change the course of our country and, therefore, the course of the sub Saharan Africa where malaria kills nearly one million children and adults every year and $12 billion of GDP is lost due to its impact.”
He said, “when the mosquito comes to bite you, it does not ask if you are NPP or NDC, ” adding “As long as God gives me breath, mosquito will have no peace.”
Explaining the UAM, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey of Voices for Malaria-Free Future of the Johns Hopkins University, said the strategy sought to select groups of partners committed to ending malaria and willing to offer their good name and support in conjunction with the heightened activity around the FIFA 2010 World Cup to dramatically reduce deaths from malaria by 2015.
He said football provided a platform to draw everybody on board and the 2010 World Cup which would take place in South Africa would give malaria unparalleled visibility.
Already, the Irish National Team and the Eagles of Mali have signed up to UAM.
At the forum, the President of the Ghana Football Association(GFA), Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi pledged the support of the Ghana Black Stars to the UAM campaign.
Coincidentally, the Minister of Sports Mr Rashid Pelpuo could not attend the programme because he was down with malaria and was represented by the acting CEO of the National Sports Council, Mr Worlanyo Agrah.
Mr Worlanyo said the formation of Team Ghana-United Against Malaria was a laudable effort through which “we can all employ our popular sport — football to motivate our young people, sportsmen and women to adopt the right malaria prevention and treatment practices.”
The UAM is supported by the Ghana Malaria Voices, National Malaria Control Programme, Roll Back Malaria, United Nations Foundation, MTN, among others.