The Sekyere South District Health Promotion Officer, Mr Joseph Asore, says exposure to smoke poses significant health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups like pregnant women.
He enumerated the health risks from prolonged exposure to smoke from charcoal and firewood as low birth weight, infant mortality, asthma, respiratory tract infections, reduced lung function, and heart failure.
Speaking at the National LPG awareness and sensitisation campaign in Jamasi, Mr Asore said "Particularly pregnant women are at high risk, putting their lives and their unborn children at risk.
"In most cases, it affects babies to the extent that it becomes visible in their weight. The normal weight of a newborn starts from 2.5kg, but due to these risks, some children are born weighing less, which has lasting implications for them from an early stage."
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The national campaign, being executed in collaboration with the Oil Sustainability Program (OSP), an initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Energy, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), and Digicraft Advertising/Brand Management, includes market sensitisation, community durbar and town-hall meetings.
The four-day campaign in the Ashanti Region kicked off with market sensitisation in Ahwia Nkwanta and Agona, educating vendors and residents about the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM). A community durbar was held at the Jamasi Community Centre, where participants were urged to support the initiative.
Speaking at the event, the Assistant Headmaster of Administration at Adu Gyamfi Senior High School, Mr Emmanuel Eshun, praised the NPA's CRM, calling it a valuable opportunity and added "this initiative allows you to easily exchange your old cylinder for a new, filled cylinder at an exchange point, making it a hassle-free process that benefits everyone."
The Twafohene of Jamasi, Nana Kofi, expressed his appreciation to the NPA and partners for bringing the awareness to Jamasi and its environs, saying "our forests have been severely damaged by fires, and we welcome the introduction of gas as a safer alternative for cooking, which I believe will help protect our forests and environment."
In a presentation on CRM, a Supervisor from the Gas Directorate of the NPA, Johnson Gbagbo Jnr. gave comprehensive insights into CRM and shed more light on the policy.
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Addressing the challenge of accessing gas refilling stations in Jamasi and why CRM was a necessary, Mr Gbagbo made parallel explanations to the cost of spending about GH¢6 on transportation from Jamasi to Agona to refill a cylinder, and the associated risks involved.
"Since Jamasi doesn't have a gas refilling station, and people travel to Agona to refill their cylinders incurring transportation cost. The NPA and, by extension, the government has introduced this scheme to bring gas closer to you all. Under this scheme, the exchange points will be at various strategic centres for you to have easy access to gas without spending much or no money at all on transport," he stressed.
Addressing consumers at a Town Hall Meeting in Bekwai, Mrs Eunice Budu Nyarko, Head of Consumer Services at the NPA, urged the public to regularly check the cylinder rubber seals (washers) around the valves and the connecting hoses to see if they are worn out or damaged.
She encouraged consumers not to repair damaged hoses and rubber seals (washers) by themselves, but rather take the cylinders to nearest LPG dealers for a safety check and replacement of the worn out hoses and seals. Additionally, hoses should be secured with proper hose clips.
Mrs Nyarko urged the public to keep LPG cylinders outside the kitchen to prevent explosion and resultant injury, death and property damage.
