It is an undeniable fact that the Mahama-led administration is embarking on massive projects to bridge the huge gap in the accessibility to health care facilities.
The ruling party, NDC is not stopping there. Last year government through the Local Government Ministry launched the National Sanitation Campaign in the wake of the cholera outbreak.
Verifiable data indicates that it significantly reduced cholera cases from 28,940 recorded in 2014 to 962 in 2015.
As the saying goes -a healthy mind lives in a healthy body…..and indeed President John Mahama emphasized this saying a healthy people make a wealthy nation when he delivered the 59th Independence Day Anniversary address.
So the governing party, NDC is taking the initiative further by introducing fitness walk. It was initiated after the Ministerial retreat at the Volta regional capital, Ho in January this year.
After the Ho Walk, similar ones have been organize in the Northern regional capital, Tamale, and Eastern regional capital Koforidua for Members of Parliament. Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives also undertook a similar exercise in Cape Coast.
Last Monday, which was the Independence holiday, the health walk train stopped at Hohoe where scores of residents joined top NDC executives and government appointees. Among the top officials were the Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Interior Minister, Prosper Bani, Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia, Deputy Environment Minister and MP of the Hohoe constituency, Dr. Bernice Adiku Heloo. Others were Francis Ganyaglo, Deputy Regional Minister, all NDC regional executives and some MMDCEs.
Party and government officials hope this will encourage people from all walks of life in the districts and constituencies to roll out regular physical exercises which have immense health benefits.
It was a massive exercise as excited residents joined along the route of over four kilometers after which they were addressed.
The exercises obviously have great benefits. Besides increased heart and lung fitness, it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, enhances improved management of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
In a related development, some Hohoe residents feel insulted and ridiculed by media reports that suggested that they were not happy about the exercise and did not show up in protest.
They are rubbishing the Daily Guide publication as pure mischief as usual intended to negate any positive initiative government embarks upon.
The residents say they are aware walking is highly recommended by Doctors and health workers. Ella Sedame and Nicholas Agbevor who participated in the walk said they had been traveling to Asia for business and were aware that in places like Taiwan, Japan and Korea, the most active community sports clubs are those devoted to walking where it is fashionable to see crowds striding along tracks in neighborhood schools. They are aware of the good health and longevity of some Asians because they take walking seriously.
They appealed to the media to take up such a laudable initiatives for the sake of Ghana and stop being influenced by parochial interests.
Source: Dan Acheampong/[email protected]
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