British High Commissioner Donates Diagnostic Kits

Mr Peter Jones, British High Commissioner to Ghana, has presented two million rapid diagnostic kits to the Ministry of Health to help in the accurate and timely diagnosis of malaria.

Mr, Presenting the items, the Commissioner said he had been struck by Ghana’s strong track record of achieving successes in the health sector which other nations were yet to reach, which included the eradication of polio and guinea worm.

“Ghana has achieved 35 per cent reduction in infant deaths and an impressive 40 per cent increase in life expectancy”, he said.

“It is also at the forefront of starting a system of universal health coverage for its people and championing the rights of people with mental disabilities and supporting their needs,” he said.

The envoy appealed to Government to “finish the job of ending preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth, communicable diseases, and ensuring that all Ghanaians can have access to good quality health service.”

Mr Jones urged everyone who suspected they might have malaria to seek testing before taking treatment.

Receiving the kits, Ms Sherry Ayitey, Minister for Health, expressed her appreciation to the British Government for the assistance, adding that the kits would be distributed to health facilities in rural communities.

The Minister said Western, Central and the Northern Regions would receive many of the kits since they recorded high malaria cases.