By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
A former national President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Kwabena Opoku Adusei, has called for improved sanitation and environmental hygiene, particularly in rural communities, as the most effective preventive measure against cholera outbreaks, especially with the onset of the major rainy season.
According to him, the primary causes of cholera and typhoid are the consumption of contaminated water and food, conditions that are preventable but potentially deadly.
Dr. Opoku Adusei, who is also a former Medical Superintendent of the Tema General Hospital, gave the advice at Nintin in the Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region during a community durbar.
The durbar marked the climax of a three-day programme aimed at mobilizing residents and citizens, both at home and abroad, to foster unity of purpose and raise funds for self-help development projects.
It was organized by the Assembly Member and Unit Committee of the Nintin Electoral Area in collaboration with the traditional leadership of the town.
The “Home 2025 Homecoming, Socialization and Fundraising Durbar” was held under the theme: “Uniting for Nintin’s Development.”
Key among the self-help projects are the construction of a health centre with residential staff accommodation, and a school-based ICT Centre to encourage the study of Information Technology among pupils of all four primary and junior high schools in the town.
Dr. Opoku Adusei, who is also a citizen of Nintin and the initiator of the ICT Centre project, advocated for the provision of healthcare facilities across the country to ensure easy access to quality primary healthcare, especially in rural areas.
As a former Director of the Kintampo Health Research Centre, he reiterated the importance of improved sanitation and environmental hygiene, particularly as the rainy season sets in, to prevent cholera outbreaks.
The former Medical Superintendent of the Suntreso Government Hospital added, “Having a hospital is very important. We are even lucky that here in Nintin, mosquitoes are rare—and so is the issue of cholera. Cholera is mainly caused by poor hygiene. I once told a KMA Chief Executive that Kumasi records fewer cholera cases than elsewhere in Ghana due to improved sanitation.”
He urged all citizens, both at home and abroad, to pool their resources to ensure the completion of the healthcare facility.
The Queen Mother of Nintin, Okyekyerekro Anosowah, commended the organizers of the programme. She appealed for reconciliation among all factions to help fast-track the development of the community.
“It’s even more important to have a health centre to serve our health needs in emergency situations, even at night. So, if by God’s grace we’re going to have our own health centre, we must be happy. I therefore plead with each and every one of us to join forces and resources to complete this project,” she advised.
A certified building contractor, Adams Akuamoah Frimpong, who chaired the event, explained the need for the health centre and why the community must come together to ensure its timely completion.
“We had a tip-off that the health authorities wanted to relocate our clinic because of its poor condition. Dr. Opoku Adusei had already begun the ICT Centre project. So, we also initiated the Health Centre project. Luckily, our compatriots abroad readily supported with about GHS 20,000, and some others here also contributed,” he explained.
