Accra, Ghana//-The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of the University of Ghana, Professor Abraham Kwabena Anang has urged stakeholders in the health sector to scale up the public education on the hepatitis B vaccination across the country.
He made the call at the side lines of a Hepatitis B and Malaria (HEPMAL) project workshop under the theme –‘Hepatitis B, Malaria and the Liver Battleground” in Accra.
Prof Anang noted that the government has a national guideline for the eradication of hepatitis B but there are challenges of awareness creation and the level of education has not been adequately intensified.
To this end, he called on players in the health sector to build linkages and come up with a comprehensive framework as well as a roadmap to scale up the effort to reach every part of the country through vaccination.
He admitted that the Hepatitis Foundation has rolled out initiatives to engage the public on the need to seek early treatment, stressing that the disease can be cured.
The Director for NMIMR commended the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) for their commitment in supporting the project.
The Head of the Department of Immunology at the NMIMR, Dr Michael Ofori urged stakeholders to make inputs in the project for the needed implementations and called on the institute to engage PhD students in the areas of hepatitis and malaria through capacity building and training.
He also challenged NMIMR to roll out research programmes as part of the drive to find solutions to address hepatitis B and malaria in the country.
Mohammed Kofi Yasimo of the Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana via zoom said the primary objective of the foundation is to support the public and other health sectors to collectively fight the diseases to the barest minimum, adding further that the foundation is a non-profit organization.
Touching on achievements of the Foundation, he said it has supported the hepatitis block through data and information at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and have rolled out policies leading to the screening and vaccination exercise across the country.
Prof Kwamena Sagoe of the Hepatitis B Epidemiology and Research in Ghana via zoom said the vaccines have been tested and proven effective and urged the public to go for screening to enable them know their status.
Ben Laryea reporting from Accra, Ghana
