By Grace Zigah
Health facilities in the Agortime Ziope District of the Volta Region have received a major boost in infection prevention preparedness, following a targeted capacity-building training for frontline health workers.
This intervention, spearheaded by World Vision Ghana through its Agortime Ziope Area Programme, is being hailed as a crucial step toward strengthening local health systems and preventing the spread of infectious diseases in vulnerable communities.
The training initiative, conducted in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), brought together over 50 frontline professionals — including nurses, midwives, community health officers, physician assistants, laboratory technicians, and disease control officers — from various Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and health centres across the district.
Organisers say the aim was simple but critical: to empower health workers with the latest knowledge and practical tools to prevent and control infections within healthcare facilities and surrounding communities.
Topics included hand hygiene, waste management, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), environmental sanitation, and standard precautions — all designed to address lapses exposed by past public health crises.
The hands-on training was facilitated by senior infection control specialists from the Ghana Health Service, including Mrs. Joyce Amponsah and Mrs. Rejoice Anku. It featured interactive sessions and real-world demonstrations to ensure the lessons were not just theoretical, but adaptable to the daily routines of participants in their respective health posts.
“This is more than a refresher course,” said Mr. Eric Opoku Agyarko, Agortime Cluster Programmes Manager at World Vision Ghana.
“Infection prevention is a life-saving responsibility. Strengthening the skills of healthcare workers ensures that facilities remain safe spaces for both patients and caregivers.”
The training comes at a critical time, as global and regional public health bodies continue to prioritize infection prevention strategies in response to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, monkeypox, Ebola, and most recently, COVID-19.
Many of these emergencies exposed systemic gaps in infection control, especially in resource-limited areas like Agortime Ziope, making this intervention both timely and strategic.
For Mabel Offeibea, a midwife stationed at the Akwetteh CHPS compound, the training was an eye-opener.
“Sometimes routine safety measures become second nature, and we forget why each step matters. This training reminded us of the consequences of complacency,” she noted.
District Health Director Emmanuel Ayaanga Ayaamga praised World Vision Ghana for their sustained commitment to health development in the area.
He emphasized that the knowledge gained would be disseminated through peer networks to ensure a cascading effect that reaches even the most remote facilities. “This will benefit not just health workers, but entire communities,” he said.
This initiative is part of World Vision Ghana’s broader mission to enhance health resilience across underserved districts.
Through interventions in hygiene, maternal and child health, and disease control, the organization aims to reduce preventable illnesses and deaths — particularly among children and vulnerable populations.
