An ambitious programme seeking to provide ready employment to thousands of graduates from healthcare training institutions across the country was launched yesterday, in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. Initially, over 2,500 graduates from the training institutions are being recruited for the programme which is aimed at promoting community health services, as well as supporting disease prevention and control. The programme, a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Health and Better Ghana Management Services Limited (BGMSL), is part of government's public-private sector initiative towards attracting community support and involvement in the implementation of health promotion interventions. Graduates from training institutions such as the School of Hygiene, community health training centres, as well as health extension officers, are expected to benefit from the programme. They will be deployed to communities to implement health programmes to fight diseases such as malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes. It is expected to help in building the capacity of Ghanaians to adopt preventive health measures as a way of life, and complement the efforts by government to reduce the pressure on the public health institutions. Dr. Benjamin Kunbour, Minister of Health, launching the programme, stressed the importance of the initiative in the prevention of diseases. He explained that health promotion interventions have contributed significantly to the eradication of guinea worm in many parts of the country, as well as the control of the spread of HIV/ AIDS, and expressed optimism that the new programme would yield the desired results. He said it was in line with government's commitment to implement initiatives towards improving the health of the citizenry. Mrs. Beatrice Amponsah, General Manager of BGMSL, thanked the government for cooperating to get the programme started, saying it was in line with its aim of promoting good health and sanitation practices among Ghanaians. She bemoaned the high level of unemployment among the youth, indicating that the programme seeks to utilise the services of graduates from the health training schools who are unable to secure employment in the public health institutions. "The health promotion officers will move through our communities to educate community members on diseases such H1N1, HIV/AIDS, malaria control, cholera and dysentery," she noted. She said that the company has taken delivery of 12 pick-up vehicles and 2,500 motorbikes for use by the health promotion officers to kick start the programme. Source: The Ghanaian Times