Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw, has urged veterinary professionals to step up their disease surveillance, control and eradication activities.
They should do this bearing in mind the interrelation between animal and human health. She made the call at the opening of the 40th annual general meeting of the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association at the Wood Industry Training Centre (WITC), at Akyawkrom, in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality.
More than 250 delegates, made up of veterinary officers, doctors, surgeons, researchers and students from across the country are attending the two-day meeting to discuss pertinent issues affecting their practice. “Vaccination and its socio-economic impact on health” is the theme.
Dr Bisiw expressed concern about the situation where dogs, sheep, pigs and cattle roam and graze around the cities on daily basis. This, she said, should give cause to worry considering the health danger posed by these animals and called for their vaccination.
She pledged her ministry’s resolve to work with the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to tackle the threat head-on to safeguard the health of the people.
The Deputy Minister noted that quality service to a large extent would depend on “how as a nation we take care of veterinary medical practitioners and research services as part of managing our critical human resources”.
They would therefore do everything to ensure a well developed, well resourced and well motivated expertise that would deliver.
She praised them for their contribution to animal health, which was impacting positively on the nation’s socio-economic development, and cited the eradication of considerable number of veterinary diseases, including the deadly cattle disease, ‘Rindepest’ way back in the 1990’s.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, in an address read for him, encouraged them to continue working hard to increase animal production.
Dr. Osei Bonsu, President of the Association, called for the early passage of the meat inspection law to promote healthy meat production.
Source: GNA
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