News Categories: Health

Nkawkaw, Kwahu West Municipal Assembly – In a commendable effort to safeguard public health and maintain sanitation standards, the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly carried out a successful operation to destroy unwholesome food, drugs, and cosmetic products. The confiscated items, estimated to be worth Nine Thousand Ghana cedis (GHc 9000), were removed from stores in Nkawkaw, the Municipal Capital.

Various items seized from offending shops to be disposed off

Spanning a period from December 19th, 2022, to March 31st of the current year, the operation was conducted in two phases. The primary objective was to eradicate expired and potentially harmful goods that posed risks to consumers.

Under the watchful eyes of the media, the police, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), court bailiffs, public health officers, and concerned citizens, the two-hour exercise unfolded flawlessly. The multi-stakeholder participation aimed to ensure transparency, accountability, and to educate the general public about the importance of consuming safe and quality products.

Stakeholders, including the media, police, and public health officers, observing the destruction process.

The Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit acted swiftly, seizing unwholesome products from various stores within the municipality. These items were unfit for consumption or use due to factors such as expiration, inadequate storage conditions, or compromised quality.

The destruction process meticulously followed proper protocols to ensure the safe disposal of the confiscated items, minimizing any potential risks to public health and the environment. By effectively eliminating these unwholesome products, the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly has taken a proactive stance in protecting the well-being of its residents.

Mr. Joseph Krampah, Municipal Environmental Health Officer, overseeing the disposal operation

The presence of the media and other stakeholders during the operation served to raise awareness about the importance of purchasing and using only certified and wholesome goods. It also showcased the commitment of the Municipal Assembly to maintain high environmental and health standards within the region.

Stakeholders, including the media, police, and public health officers, observing the destruction process.

The successful execution of this initiative underscores the dedication and professionalism of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly. By proactively addressing the issue of unwholesome products, the municipality demonstrates its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.

Proper burying of unwholesome items by the Environmental Health Unit

Moving forward, it is crucial for both regulatory bodies and consumers to remain vigilant in identifying and reporting any potential health hazards or unwholesome products. By working together, the community can play an active role in promoting a safe and healthy environment for all.

A general cleanup exercise was held at the Nkawkaw by-pass in the Kwahu West Municipality on February 10th, 2022, with an emphasis on desilting the drains, sweeping and weeding the median of the Accra-Kumasi High Way, and cleaning the truck park.

Through a number of announcements made through the Information Centers, the Environmental Health Unit and the local Assemblyman educated and mobilized the community.

Hawkers, employees from the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit, and a few residents of the neighborhood attended. There was extensive drain de-silting going on, and people were sweeping the streets and other public spaces, particularly the highway hawking areas.

After the cleanup exercise, the Environmental Health Officers and Hon. Asamoah, the community’s Assemblyman, met with the participants to discuss the sanitation issue the area was facing.

From the discussions they gathered that the by-pass had become a hotbed of illegal activities. The hawkers who had set up shop there had created an unauthorized dumping site, which was an eyesore for those passing by. Despite efforts to clear the area, some stores remained open, and the majority of the hawkers continued selling their wares. Adding to the chaos were the unauthorized structures erected in-between the two roads at the by-pass. To make matters worse, heavy duty truck drivers and their mates were using the land in between the two roads as a defecating ground. It was clear that urgent action was needed to clean up the area and restore order.

They therefore recommended that the hawkers who are creating an unauthorized dumping site must be caught and prosecuted to discourage others from engaging in such illegal activities. The Assembly should continue to intensify health education to ensure that all citizens are aware of the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

The unauthorized structures erected at the by-pass should be removed, and the area should be greened by the Physical Planning Department of the Municipal Assembly to beautify the environment. Furthermore, the Assembly should task the City Guards/Police Officers to be on guard at the by-pass to arrest unauthorized defecating offenders for prosecution. By implementing these measures, the authorities can ensure that the by-pass is clean, safe and aesthetically pleasing for all those who use it.

List of Nutrition Interventions 2021 (Click to Download)

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly has instituted measures to prevent and contain the spread of the pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Nkawkaw Central Markets in the Municipality.

The measures include the establishment of a multi-stakeholder COVID-19 Public Health Committee to enforce personal and public safety precautionary measures outlined by the Government.

Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said this in interview with the media, when he toured the Central Markets with Local Government Representative, inspecting various market centers to ensure adherence to social distancing and wearing of masks.

The Local Government and Rural Development Financial Controller Representative, Mr. David Annan Boney, after the Nkawkaw Central Markets tour inspection, in an assessment urged the Assembly to fulfill their promises to the market women so that they won’t defy the rules of and adhere to the social distancing protocol.

He expressed satisfaction with the measures put in place by the Assembly.

The MCE, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, also urged and appealed to the public to patronise the Nkawkaw Market annex to prevent overcrowding at the main Central Market.

He also promised the sellers, who had been relocated to the annex, that he will advertise their goods for them to make sure that their businesses are successful.

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region, has recorded its first three cases of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was announced by the chairman of the Municipal Public Health Emergency Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Assembly, Hon. Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo in an emergency press briefing section.

At the event, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Alhaji Issah Musah, who welcomed members of the media, stated that, the assembly has a responsibility to give accurate and reliable information to the public through the media and therefore expected the media to contribute in articulating that responsibility.

Addressing the press on the issue, Hon. Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo indicated that, even though the public health officers in the municipality have done their very best towards the containment of the novel COVID-19 global pandemic, the assembly can confirm that it has recorded its first three cases.

“Just yesterday, the assembly unfortunately after putting in much efforts to resist any possible record of the disease, received the news from doctors per some sample tests at the Noguchi centre and the KCCR in Kumasi that three persons from our municipality have tested positive for the coronavirus disease” he said.

According to the MCE, two out of the three persons who have tested positive for the disease were on admission at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital, whiles the other person was also diagnosed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

“Let me put on records that, two out of the three persons were on admission at the Holy Family Hospital here in Nkawkaw but tested positive after doctors took their samples for testing in Accra, whiles the other person also tested positive during treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi”, he added.

Hon. Owusu Addo further noted that the three results confirm the Assembly’s campaign that the warnings concerning the disease is serious and real.

He has also indicated that, due to the current situation, the assembly will from Friday May 22, 2020 strengthen the enforcement on face masks wearing and other preventive protocols to ensure that residents remain secured and safe.

Municipal Health Director for the assembly, Mrs. Celestine Asante told the press that all the three persons were indigenes of Nkawkaw and live there.

According to the health director, the information in hand confirms that most patients are asymptomatic and could infect a lot of persons on the hind side.

“Now we can believe that most patients are asymptomatic and therefore the people of Nkawkaw should be very careful. We have followed up on their contacts and have traced more than 250 persons already and still counting, meaning that the situation could be dangerous but we still believe that God will help us. Let me say also that the disease is highly transmittable and therefore people must focus on wearing the face masks”, she said.

Mrs. Celestine Asante further indicated that the epidemiology of the disease shows that male infections are always higher than females. She also cautioned that persons with other comorbidities usually have worse situations and pleaded with residents to eat well.

“I will also take this opportunity to appeal to residents not to stigmatize affected persons in order to help bring the situation under control. I also want to announce to you that right after here the health directorate will begin sample taking of all the city authorities to ascertain their conditions, including the media”, she added.

Answering the issue on whether there are enough isolation centres to quarantine those traced, Hon. Owusu Addo indicated that the assembly has made available such places since the outbreak of the pandemic and therefore assured that the situation is under control.

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly will be undertaking a mass spraying exercise of all the Markets and Lorry stations in the Municipality on Saturday, 4th April 2020.

At a press conference held by the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, he stated that the exercise has been put together as part of the government’s efforts to manage the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the region.

He reassured the public’s health safety saying, “the chemicals used for the spraying exercise are not harmful to humans and therefore no cause for fear of negative effects.”

He further called on all traders in the markets and drivers in the Municipality to cooperate and comply with the ban on activities in the markets on Saturday 4th April 2020.

Similar exercises have been carried in other regions as a measure to curb the spread of the virus.

The MCE, Hon.Yaw Addo, also stressed that traders who operate in the market should observe social distancing per the government’s directives.

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly also has planned shift system as part of efforts against the COVID 19 Outbreak.

According to him, social distancing is key in preventing Covid-19 from spreading in the country and killing people.

The Kwahu West Municipal Health Director, Mrs. Celestine Asante, has denied rumors of infected patient in the municipality from one of the hospitals in Kwahu West.

Mrs. Celestine Asante, condemned rumors about a case of the corona virus (COVID-19) in the Municipality.

She made this statement to the press, saying that the misleading information seeks to spread “panic and confusion among citizens.”

“No case of the novel corona virus has been detected so far in any hospital in the Municipality”, she said.

The statement added that the first suspected case reported by the Health Minister on the case of Covid-19 in the Eastern region was in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.

The patient, who is an Indian working with the construction company building the railway from Akosombo to Tema, returned to the country a few days ago after he had visited his home country.

He has since been quarantined and receiving treatment at an isolated facility at Kpong.

Health authorities have begun tracing people who may have interacted with the patient.

She therefore used the opportunity to advise the public on wearing face masks and the sellers on wearing gloves in addition as the Corona Virus spread.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, also outlined the Assembly’s program; that Health Assistants will be going round to various homes to test all those run back to their hometowns after the announcement by President Akufo Addo on the lockdown to help stop the spread of COVID 19 in the Country.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, has informed the Media that as part of his development agenda, he is poised to build more Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and clinics to enhance access to quality health care.

He made this known when the Assembly received a 10-acre plot of land from the Obemenghene, Nana Effah Pinaman, for the construction of a health facility for the people of Kwahu West Municipality and other catchment areas.

The Hon. MCE expressed his elation and utmost gratitude to the Obemenghene for giving out the land and said the objective was to bring healthcare closer to his constituents especially children and pregnant women so that they would not travel long distances to receive medical attention.

Thanking the Omanhene for the kind gesture, the MCE reiterated that the congestion at Municipal Health Office was not the best and added that there was an urgent need to create more space, provide some comfort and convenience for the health workers. He, therefore, assured all present that Assembly will construct a new office for the Municipal Health Directorate to remedy the situation.

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On Thursday 21st June 2018, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, MCE for Kwahu West Municipal Assembly commissioned on ultra-modern Slaughter House at Ampekrom. The facility which is situated 2km away from Nkawkaw New Road was built to solve the challenges faced by butchers and households in Kwahu West Municipality.
The slaughterhouse is equipped with biogas, toilet facility, and bath house, mechanized bore hole, slaughtering floor, office and lairage.
During a brief ceremony to commission the project the Municipal Environment Health Officer of Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, Mr. Joseph Krampah admonished users of the abattoir specially the butchers to always keep the facility clean. He also assured the public that Environmental Health workers and students will constantly visit the facility to inspect and monitor to make sure animal sent there are disease free and slaughtered under hygienic conditions.
Addressing the gathering the Hon. MCE, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo said the facility is an effort by the current government to promoter good health among the citizenry. He further advised the butchers to ensure meat that come out of the facility are treated under hygienic condition and are healthy for human consumption.
Nana Opinamang Effah III, Chief of Obomeng, a special guest who graced the occasion, urged the public to make good use of that facility. He advised the butchers to keep the environment clean. He reiterated that environmental health officers must inspect the facility regularly to ensure that they comply with laid down procedures.
On behalf of the butchers, Mr. Emmanuel Bagua expressed his appreciation to the Government, the MCE and the entire management of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly and assured them that they will use the facility for the benefit of all.