The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has urged parents and caregivers not to suspend routine child health services despite concerns about COVID-19, warning that doing so could expose children, especially those under five, to preventable illnesses, disabilities and death.
The appeal was made by the Deputy Director of the Family Health Division of the GHS, Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, at the launch of the 2021 Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW).
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The five-day campaign, held from May 10 to May 14 under the theme “Sustaining Child Health Services in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” sought to promote essential child survival interventions, including immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation, growth monitoring, nutrition counselling, insecticide-treated net usage and birth registration.
Dr Sagoe-Moses assured the public that health facilities had introduced strict COVID-19 safety protocols to protect both healthcare workers and families accessing child health services.
She said children and caregivers are screened before receiving services, physical distancing has been introduced at health centres, and medical equipment is sanitised after every use.
She also encouraged mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 to continue breastfeeding while observing safety measures such as wearing face masks and practising proper hand hygiene, noting that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the risk of coronavirus transmission.
The Child Health Specialist further advised parents to ensure children complete their immunisation schedule before the age of two, avoid unhealthy foods such as sugary drinks and fast foods, care properly for newborn umbilical cords using chlorhexidine only, and ensure children sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria.
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to prioritising child health as part of Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
He called on all stakeholders to continue supporting initiatives that improve child survival and ensure every child has access to quality healthcare services.
