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By Samuel Akapule, GNA

Bolgatanga, Sept. 8, GNA - The Institute of Social Research and Development  (ISRAD) Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation, is partnering the media and other stakeholders in the Upper East Region to help fight malaria.
The one year project, dubbed: “The Advocacy for Resources for Malaria Stoppage (ARMS) Initiative,” is being funded by the UKaid and is to be implemented by the NGO in collaboration with the media and other stakeholders.
It would benefit the Bolgatanga Municipal, Bongo, Kassena Nankana Municipal, Kassena Nankana West, Nabdam District and Talensi.
Speaking at the media orientation forum in Bolgatanga, the Regional Co-ordinator, Mr Abdul-Razak Issah, said the orientation was to equip the media with the implementation strategy of the ARMS Project and to solicit their support in the publication of those activities.
“The media, being in the frontline of disseminating information, has a bigger role to play if we are to make an effective headway in fighting the killer disease, malaria.
“We, therefore, want to solicit your support to use your various platforms in monitoring to ensure that the district assemblies support the Ghana Health Service by using the 0.5% of District Response Initiative as directed by the guidelines of the District Assembly Common Fund to support malaria prevention activities,” he said.
Mr Issah said the overall goal of the project was to contribute to the reduction of malaria in Ghana by training malaria advocacy groups and community malaria ambassadors, holding radio discussions, community durbars, video shows, schools sensitisation activities and house to house sensitisation.
He said with the current middle income status of the country, donor funding on malaria was dwindling and that the project would help improve the involvement of stakeholders in mobilising support and resources for malaria control programmes.
“The project implementation will also help improve community participation in health decisions, particularly malaria prevention and management, to ensure regular supply of required malaria prevention items such as bed nets and medication among other things”, he said.
Mr Samuel Adadi Akapule, a Chief Reporter of the Ghana News Agency and a facilitator, urged the media personnel to devote more of their platforms to help fight the disease.
He said research had shown that malaria still remained the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and stressed the need for the media to play their watchdog roles to ensure that the district assemblies released the 0.5 per cent of the Common Fund to the GHS to tackle the disease.
GNA