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About GH�8.6 million was spent to treat sanitation related diseases in the Upper West Region last year, health authorities in the region has said. The amount, according to the authorities had strained the finances of the various Mutual Health Insurance schemes in the region. About GH�7,427,351 was spent on patients on admission, while GH�1,254,117 took care of out patients. Common among these diseases are malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Alhaji Abu Yahaya, Chairman of the Upper West Regional Health Committee made this known at Wa at the closing session of a one-week course for sanitation guards drawn from the Wa Municipality, Wa East, Wa West and Sissala East districts. He said during the year under review, health facilities data show that 208,309 patients reported as having malaria while 29,494 patients and 10,537 patients were said to have acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea respectively. Alhaji Yahaya noted these diseases are about 90% preventable if people changed their behaviour and attitude to sanitation. Alhaji Yahaya called on government to invest in sanitation in order to reduce the huge resources being expended on medical care and the man-hours lost as a result of diseases that could be prevented. Mr Emmanuel Volsuri, Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoom Lion Ghana Limited, said 90 sanitation guards had so far been trained in the region and provided with the necessary logistics to enhance their work. He said Zoom Lion organised the training programme to provide the needed skills and knowledge to participants to enable them to carry their duties effectively. The guards are expected to assist Environmental Health Officers in hygiene education and promotion, premises inspection, dissemination of sanitary information, supervision and monitoring of sanitation services.