STATE OF SOME EATRIES IN ACCRA

Several eateries operating in the Accra metropolis still lack toilet facility which is a basic requirement in operation a standard food joint.

A visit to some restaurants and chop bars in the Accra metropolis raised some pertinent public health enforcement concerns to avoid an outbreak of diseases.

Cholera according to the World Health Organisation is a disease one contracts after ingesting contaminated food or water.

The W.H.O indicated provision of safe water and sanitation is critical to control the transmission of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Recently in the central region, a cholera outbreak which has claimed three lives were linked to a food operating joint.

The standard for operating a food joint, was outlined by the Director of the Accra Metro Public Health Directorate, Victor Acquaye who hinted a taskforce has been formed to check eatries in the capital city. 

The first stop for the news crew was at a food joint inside ridge that served common African dishes.

Interestingly, our observations proved the food joint was a favourite though it operated in a tent-structured. 

At first sight tables for eating had liquid soaps with covered cups of water but not everything in the dining area met the standard demanded by the metro health directorate.

Operating without a toilet facility, they were using two make-shift structures to serve as urinals for customers, workers and other inhabitants of the household.

The compound space serving as a kitchen had rubbish piles at one end, a mechanic shop at the other and some dirty yellow gallons served as receptacles to preserve water used for operating the joint.

At another popular joint that operated inside a household at Kokomlemle, this is the condition of the urinal that served customers without a toilet facility.

Manager in-charge at the joint, refused to allow the news crew capture insanitory conditions of the kitchen.

At Adabraka, the food joint operated on a compound along an open drainage system without a toilet facility.

There is a functional tap water here but lack pipe tunnels to connect to the main drainage systems to allow free flow of waste water.

The dining area for customers were not tiled and lacked the standard vent or netted windows to prevent flies from invading the area sand this corner served as a kitchen.

Accra Metro Public Health Directorate, Victor Acquaye stressed the population of food joints out-numbered health officers the reasons why some operators are taking regulations for granted.

The situation here in Ghana is that, several policies and laws that exist to check certain anomalies in society do not function properly because enforcement by this necessary agencies is never done.