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MPA PARTNERS GHS TO LAUNCH A PAPERLESS HEALTH DECLARATION FORM AT THE AIRPORT
MILLENNIUMPROMISE ALLIANCE (MPA) has partnered with Ghana Health Service (GHS) to launch a real-time, electronic version of the Health Declaration Form at the Kotoka International Airport with the commencement of flights to the country.
The Paperless Health Declaration is used to obtain passengers travel history and signs and symptoms in relation to COVID- 19. The systems has already been deployed since the resumption of operation of the country’s Airport.
MPA developed Mobile and Web Health Declaration Applications to replaces the paper-based version that was used prior to the closure of the country’s borders. The App makes it possible for passengers to conveniently fill up the Form; whilst its decision support algorithms and analytics helps the Port Health team to speed up decision making and follow-up.
Travelers can access the Health Declaration App on their mobile phones, tablets or computers through the Ghana Health Service website using the link https:/www.ghs-hdf.org/hdf/.
Additionally, all passengers will have their temperatures screened through the MPA Porthealth Thermocheck booths.
“COVID 19 has ushered in a lot of homegrown ideas and domesticated technological advancements of which I’m Grateful to God to have been useful in such a competitive era together with my MPA team. The project has added a boost to Ghana’s preparedness to open its airports for international flights. I am very proud to leverage on our long-standing partnership with the Ghana health Service to bring this project to life” Chief Nathaniel Ebo Nsarko, Executive Director of Millennium Promise Alliance said.
He added that “due to COVID-19, Technology is being deployed at such a dizzying pace in recent months that it has transformed our world in ways that we least imagined. Coming up with this innovative idea started out to be difficult, if not impossible — and almost certainly up for fierce debate as we have always believed in foreigners than ourselves. Nevertheless, we gave it a shot and here we are, purely Ghanaian but of international standards; proudly Ghanaian.”
This collaboration is part of MPA’s agenda of mobilizing science and cutting-edge technology towards sustainable development and to improve the health and well-being of the population in Ghana.
Millennium Promise Alliance is an International NGO with a vision to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases especially in deprived communities.
MPA operates in twenty (20) countries including Ghana and believes in working with country systems and government agencies to empower the rural poor, promote rapid socio-economic development and accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Ghana, MPA provides technical support for school health screening, community health workers program, rural diagnostic laboratory services, personal protective equipment for frontline healthworkers among others.
MPA appreciates funding support from the Sergei Brin Family Foundation and GSK; as well as strategic and policy advisory from the Founder and Board Chair Prof. Jeffrey Sachs.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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