GoodLife Health Fairs launches in Upper West Region

The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), a non-governmental organization (NGO), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched a three days health fair aimed at promoting healthy behaviors, services, and products in rural communities in the Upper West Region.

The Fairs, a community event, is designed to enhance health literacy, improve access to healthcare services, and empower individuals and families to utilize essential health services. It is also aimed at facilitating connections with local health providers through practical demonstrations on using healthcare commodities and accessing services to improve health status.

Dubbed “GoodLife Health Fairs”, it is a key initiative under the five-year USAID Accelerating Social and Behavior Change (ASBC) Activity being implemented by a consortium of partners including (NORSAAC), to reduce disease burden across multiple health areas, increase the uptake of health services, and promote supportive environments for sustainable behavior change in Northern Ghana.

The three days health fairs were under the theme: “Promoting Good Life through the adoption of positive health behaviors”.

Exhibitors are drawn from various health service providers and promoters from both the health sector and civil society organisations to deliver healthcare services and commodities to the doorsteps of the people in the areas.

A wide range of services and activities are being offered to encourage healthy behaviors and practices. These include exhibitions, health education sessions, blood donation drives, health screenings for various ailments, vaccinations, counselling, cooking and food demonstrations, family planning promotion, WASH commodity demonstrations, proper use and maintenance of long-lasting insecticide nets, treatment for minor ailments, among others.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, the Executive Director of Norsaac, Mr. Mohammed Awal Alhassan commended the Upper West Regional Health Directorate for their commitment towards ensuring quality health delivery in the area.

He said the health fairs were implemented to promote health literacy, increased access to services, promote utilization of services, and ensure positive uptake of behaviors.

“It is not enough to increase health literacy if the empower young people we are dealing with do not translate knowledge into actions. It is my expectation that the stakeholders will help us to achieve these interest areas”, he explained.

The Deputy Chief of Party of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Alhassan Hudi in his statement, emphasized the need for private entities in the country to come on board to partner with the Ghana Health Service to promote health care delivery in the country.

He thus assured the leadership of Ghana Health Service that the USAID and its partners would continue to double their efforts towards supporting the initiative.

In his welcoming remarks, the Upper West Regional Health Director, Dr Damien Punguyire, said health-seeking has largely been neglected due to an inadequate understanding of the intricate relationship between good health and the socioeconomic empowerment of individuals and families.

He said the theme for the health fair is therefore seeking to strengthen health literacy among the public, increase access to healthcare services, empower individuals and families to access basic essential health services, and connect with local health providers through practical demonstrations of how to use healthcare commodities and access services to improve your health status.

Story By: Alhassan Yakubu |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.