By Maxwell Koligu Tidow | Founder, Rescue and Restore Hope Zambulkura Ghana
REPORT ON TREAT 6000 CHILDREN WITH MALARIA IN ZAMBULKURA AREA (53920) - OCTOBER 2023
This is a report of activities by Rescue and Restore Hope Zambulkura Ghana to address the menace of malaria in Zambulkura and it’s neighbouring communities in the Northeast Region of Ghana in West Africa. Malaria is still the number one of the top ten diseases causing all hospital attendance in the East Mamprusi District. Sadly, the lack of a primary healthcare facility in Zambulkura to provide quick primary healthcare services is causing sufferings and deaths of children, pregnant women, and the aged. Donations received from donors through GG played a crucial role in enabling our Organization, RRHZ to buy rapid malaria test kits, malaria medicines, cough syrup, de-wormers, multivitamins among other medicines to carry out Malaria screenings and treatment program in the Zambulkura area. The medicines and other logistics were bought in Accra and taken to Zambulkura by a team of two medical professionals who were joined by a Physician Assistant, 2 Nurses, 2 medical Laboratory Technicians from Nalerigu Baptist Hospital which is located 20km away from Zambulkura the program site. Prior to our medical team arrival in Zambulkura for the malaria testing and treatment exercise a week notice had been sent to the communities to notify them on the date for the program which was scheduled for 19th August 2023. The team was lodging in Nalerigu so on the day of the program, we hired a tricycle to convey the medicines to Zambulkura for the program whilst the medical team travelled on hired motor bikes since we didn’t have a vehicle to convey the team to Zambulkura for the screening and treatment exercise. We had a successful program and at the end of the screening a total of 378 people were screened with 116(30.68%) tested positive for the disease.
Out of the total of 387 people screened 85 (22.49.%) were children between 0-5 years. Children age 6-17 years were 230 (60.84%). And the aged including pregnant women who were allowed to benefit from the exercise were 63(16.67 %).
Among the test results of 85 children aged 0-5years, 21 (24.70%) tested positive for malaria. Out of the 230 children aged 6-17years who were screened, 69 (30.00%) children tested positive for the malaria. Four children were suffering from severe malaria and were referred to Nalerigu hospital for further management of their cases. Among them was a 13 years old orphan who’s mother did not have money so we gave the mother money and hired a motor bike which took them to Nalerigu Hospital for admission and treatment. We found out that some of the pregnant women who attended our program had high blood pressures and were also advised to be going to Nalerigu Baptist Hospital regularly to be put on BP medication after further assessment. Out of the 69 adults who were part of the exercise 23 (33.33%) tested positive for malaria disease. From the test results presented above children of the school going age group 6- 17 years had the highest number of positive malaria cases of 69 (30.00%). This number of school children suffering from malaria has a negative impact on school attendance as many children absent from school because of sickness.
Similarly pregnant women who had high blood pressure were a matter of concern to our medical team.The lack of easy access to primary healthcare services in Zambulkura and its nearby communities is a huge challenge and pose as a treat to the lives of the people especially children and other vulnerable in these deprived communities. The GlobalGiving Team which provides an avenue or platform to receive support for our programs remains a great Organization to our success. The GG Team and our amazing donors are very much appreciated. The people of Zambulkura, the surrounding communities and Rescue and Restore Hope Zambulkura Ghana owes you lots of gratitude for touching the lives of the people positively. God bless each one of you abundantly
CONCLUSION
Accessibility to primary healthcare services to the people of Zambulkura and its surrounding communities remains a big challenge. Avoidable deaths are still occurring because during sickness and emergency situations the people cannot get to the Nalerigu hospital quickly to get the much-needed health care service. Children suffering from malaria often develop to complicated malaria leading to preventable deaths. Provision of malaria screenings and treatment in Zambulkura and surrounding communities will continue to be carried out as a temporary measure by our NGO (RRHZ). The idea to construct a primary health facility in the community to provide a 24 hour healthcare services remains our focus as it will serve as a permanent solution. It is our hope to mobilize sufficient funds to complete the construction of the primary health facility we have started to construct in Zambulkura to make healthcare easily accessible to the people.
Donations received from GG to carry out the current malaria screenings and treatments by RRHZ is helping so much; however, the construction of a permanent health facility will be more helpful to the health needs of these communities and contribute towards the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage’
Thank you GlobalGiving Team and to all our amazing donors.
By Maxwell Koligu Tidow - Founder, Rescue and Restore Hope Zambulkura Ghana
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