FBNBank Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Limited has donated GH₵25,000 to support the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee of Rotary International and two selected Rotary Clubs in the Volta Region to support the fight against Polio in the country.
The funds are to help Rotary and its partners to roll out a Polio immunization exercise for children between zero months and infants up to 59 months in the country.
Making the presentation at an End Polio Now flag unveiling event to mark the International Polio Day celebration yesterday (October 24, 2022) in Accra, the Managing Director of the FBNBank, Victor Yaw Asante said out of the sum, the Rotary Clubs of Ho and Hohoe would receive GH₵5,000 each while the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee of Rotary International would receive GH₵15,000.
Making the presentation at an End Polio Now flag unveiling event to mark the International Polio Day celebration yesterday (October 24, 2022) in Accra, the Managing Director of the FBNBank, Victor Yaw Asante said out of the sum, the Rotary Clubs of Ho and Hohoe would receive GH₵5,000 each while the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee of Rotary International would receive GH₵15,000.
Mr. Asante who doubles as the District Governor for Rotary International District 9102 added that the donation was in fulfillment of the bank’s commitment to promoting the health and well-being of children in Ghana.
“The purpose is to help the Rotary organization in Ghana who assist the Ministry of Health and other partners to rollout immunization for polio vaccination to go out into the field and do the work,” he said.
He added that the bank had over the past four years supported the efforts to eradicate polio in Ghana with similar donations.
He urged persons at the forefront of the polio vaccination effort across the world not to relent in the fight even though the world was 99 percent polio-free.
Receiving the cheque from Mr. Asante, the Past Assistant Governor (PAG) and Chair of the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee, Nana Yaa Siriboe, said the money would be used to meet the needs of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in respect of polio immunization.
She noted this year, the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee supported the GHS with 700 aprons and 15,400 Identification Cards for the volunteers that accompanied the public health nurses to vaccinate infants across the country.
She said the Identification Cards reassured and helped in convincing families to release their children to be immunized during October’s Polio vaccination.
PAG Siriboe said although the country had no cases of wild polio, all the partners in the fight against the disease must work hard to tackle the few circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus (cVDPV) cases and other existing polio cases.
She said the unveiling of the End Polio Now flag on the front of the Airport View Hotel building on the Liberation Road would serve as a constant reminder to Ghanaians of the gains chalked in the fight as well as what remains to be done in order to eradicate polio.
World Polio Day
In an address read on his behalf, the World Health Organisation Representative to Ghana, Dr. Francis Kasolo said only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan remained endemic for wild poliovirus and the potential for the introduction of World Polio Virus into countries that have interrupted polio transmission.
However, Dr Kasolo mentioned that the good news was the cVDPV could be prevented using the existing polio immunization tools.
He added that World Polio Day was celebrated to highlight the global effort to end polio worldwide, urging African countries to draw inspiration from the WHO European region which achieved polio-free status 20 years ago.
“The unveiling of the ‘End Polio Now’ flag, should serve as a reminder to strengthen commit to maintain equitably high immunization coverage, high-quality surveillance to detect any presence of the virus, and prepare to respond in the event of an outbreak,” he said.
