42 Ghanaian health workers take on Ebola

Following last month's call for volunteers, in an effort to curb the Ebola menace, the first batch of West African Health personnel today left Accra for the three Ebola ravaged countries.

A total of 116 volunteer health workers are being dispatched to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone in response to a call by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit in Accra on November 6.

A 53-member contingent from francophone West Africa, today left Accra for Guinea while 42 Ghanaian health workers are currently undergoing orientation ahead of their departure tomorrow.

The number of Ghanaian personnel exceeded the expectations of the Health Minister who initially anticipated about 20 healthworkers.

The contingent headed to Guinea is made up of personnel mostly from francophone countries - Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin and Togo.

Deputy Health Minister Dr. Victor Bampoe, speaking to JOYNEWS, said the 42, made up of doctors and other cadres of health workers volunteered to be part of the response effort and that they would leave tomorrow for Sierra Leone with a four-man group from Nigeria.

Dr. Bampoe explained that some of the health workers will “help in managing some of the cases of Ebola.” He went on to say that others “will be handling support work such as lab work and public health work and will support the direct management of the cases”.

Dr. Bampoe was of the opinion that this venture would provide the health personnel with valuable experience to manage a potential case in Ghana.

On the 7 th of November, 2014, Health Minister Dr. Kwaku Agyemang Mensah, promised that Ghana would do its bit but revealed that he expected only about twenty medical personnel to volunteer.

The number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has currently stands at 6,928. Countries hit hardest are Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, with the recorded cases exceeding 16,000.