NAVRONGO HEALTH RESERCH CENTRE IS 20 YEARS

29-11-09 Navrongo Health Research Centre is 20 years old

Narration: the use of impregnated mosquito nets and the community Health and Health Family Planning Services Programme, CHPS which have informed national policy are accredited to the Navrongo Health Research Center, NHRC. The use of impregnated bed nets increases one’s chances of survival by 17 percent, while the CHPS compounds have brought health services to the door step of the people. These were made known at the 20TH Anniversary Celebration of the Navrongo Health Research Center at Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana East District of the Upper East Region. Isaac Asare was there for Radio Ghana and have filed this report.
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Report
In 1989, a team of Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LSHTM, The School of Medical Sciences, KNUST, Kumasi and the Ghana Health Service conducted a research in the Kassena-Nankana area testing the survival benefit of giving Vitamin A to children under five years of age. The research came out that giving repeated dose of Vitamin A to children under five years increases their chances of survival by 20 percent. This was made a national policy and all children under five years are to be given doses of Vitamin A to increase their chances of survival. In view of this, he centre was then established to carry out research in health problems in Northern Ghana. , The Director of the Navrongo Health Research Centre, Dr Abraham Hodgson revealed that studies conducted by the centre shows that sleeping under impregnated bed nets increases one’s chances of survival by 17 percent. He therefore encouraged all and sundry to sleep under impregnated bed nets since it’s now a national policy. He said the introduction of the CHPS Compound under the centre’s Community Health and Family Planning services have increased health service delivery, immunization, family planning uptake and also decline deaths and generally improved health at the grassroots. He hinted that the centre have successfully conducted two vaccine trials of which some are ongoing. This he said is aimed at finding efficacious vaccines to control malaria, meningitis and Rotavirus diarrhoea. The Regent of Navroongo , Arthur Wekem Balina Adda in an address, commended the centre’s achievements as far as Vitamin A trials, impregnated mosquito nets, CHPS projects and HIV/AIDS Campaigns are concerned. This, he said have helped improved health and livelihood of people and also reduce maternal and child mortality in the area. Pio Adda emphasised that the centre have also help to address the unemployment problem in the district. In appreciation he offered a parcel of land for the centre to put up research infrastructure to facilitate their activities. The Upper East Regional Minister for his part, expressed Government readiness to introduce annual “science Congresses” for scientists and Researchers to make their findings known so that various organizations or institutions could adopt them for implementation.
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