Health NGOs Worried About Fragmented Ebola Education

The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH) has expressed concern about the fragmented, jerky and frightening way unreliable pieces of information are being circulated in the country about the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). According to them, information to the general public about the disease was being circulated unprofessionally from many sources without any control and without weighing the effects it had on the general public. At a press conference in Accra on the country�s preparedness for a possible outbreak of Ebola and the spread of cholera, the Board Chairman of the coalition, Mr Kenneth Wujangi, called on the Ministry of Health (MoH) to work at ensuring that such information was properly co� ordinated. That was to ensure that the general public would be fed with accurate and concise information on the disease and the steps they needed to take to protect themselves, he said. On the outbreak of cholera in several parts of the country, the coalition called on the appropriate authority to apprehend and prosecute all food vendors who sold uncovered food at unhygienic places such as near refuse dumps, choked gutters and at market places. He also called for widespread public education to ensure that people would abide by the rules of good sanitation and personal hygiene. Recommendations As part of the recommendations, the coalition called on the private sector to, as a matter of urgency, and as part of its corporate social responsibility, contribute resources to fight the two diseases in the country. They also called on the government and its agencies to help build the capacities of civil society groups (CSOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs), as they had wider coverage in communities and rural areas. The metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) were also called upon to provide enough refuse dumping sites and ensure the proper maintenance of water bodies to prevent the public from drinking and eating faecal matter. The group also called on the government and private sector to invest in effective behavioural change communication activities to promote positive behaviour among the general public. They further advised that the limited resources available must be monitored to ensure that they were used efficiently to improve the lives of the people.