An exercise to register citizens for mass distribution of bed-nets in Eastern and Volta Regions will begin from March 22 to 28.

Heads of households who will be registered, are to be provided with coded registration cards for the collection of their bed-nets from designated places in their district.

The issuing of the bed-nets at the designated centers will be organised from April 4 to 10, when the heads of the household would be required to present the registration coded cards for their bednets.

Speaking at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop at Koforidua on the new approach to the distribution of bed-nets for malaria prevention in the country, Rev. Richard Yeboah of the Eastern Regional Health Directorate urged political activists to stay out of health issues at their involvement could be detrimental to health delivery.

He explained that sometimes party activists could make statements that were often not representing the stance of health workers and urged the people to be wary of such people.

Rev. Yeboah said under the new bed-net distribution strategy, 90 percent of all households in the districts are expected to be registered and about 80 percent of the figure are expected to collect the nets for use.

He said beneficiaries will have to hang it in the shade for 48 hours at least before sleeping in it and it could be washed when it is dirty and dried in a shade.

He explained that even if the net is hanged in the bedroom, it helped to reduce mosquito contact because any mosquito that gets into contact with the net will die.

The Acting Eastern Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Antobre Boateng, said, it's not the first time that bed-nets are being distributed in the country, but what makes the difference is that, the new strategy targeted, involve registration of the beneficiaries and appealed to the stakeholders to help create the needed awareness for the success of the project.

The Eastern Regional Health Promotion Office Bridget Anim, appealed to people who might be travelling during the Easter festivities to arrange for others to collect their bed-nets for them or arrange to return early to collect it themselves.