body-container-line-1
18.12.2014 Health

Canadian Chamber Fights Ebola

By Daily Guide
Canadian Chamber Fights Ebola
18.12.2014 LISTEN

 Herbert Morrison (3rd right) Dr Gopaul-Saikali (4th right) in a pose with staff of Dalex Finance, Chief of Madina and Miss Tourism 2014

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Ghana has joined forces with the Canadian High Commission to intensify awareness creation on the dangers associated with the Ebola virus (EVD).

The Chamber last Saturday partnered with UNICEF and Ghana Health Service (GHS) through the support of Dalex Finance Limited, one of the financial institutions at the forefront in the fight against the possible spread of Ebola in the country, to embark on Ebola awareness campaign at the Madina market in Accra.

The special exercise which began about 7:30am was aimed at increasing awareness and discouraging complacency with regard to the fight against Ebola in Ghana.

Educative materials, including fliers containing relevant messages on how Ebola is contracted and spread were distributed to traders and head-potters commonly known as 'kayayei'.

The materials were also pasted on walls in and around the congested market.

The President of the Canadian Chamber, Herbert Morrison, in a brief remark during the exercise urged the government of Ghana, corporate and non-governmental organisations championing the fight against Ebola not to become complacent.

The Ebola virus outbreak has claimed over 6,000 lives in      countries like Liberia, Guinea, with Sierra Leone recording the highest fatality rates, according to health officials.

There have been reports about suspected cases of Ebola in Ghana—all of which have tested negative, according to medical experts.

He disclosed that even though Ghana has not recorded an Ebola case, it was prudent that stakeholders remained committed in fighting against the spread of the virus.

The Consular of Development at the Canadian High Commission to Ghana, Dr Cheryl Gopaul-Saikali, in a speech commended the government of Ghana for its Ebola response initiatives.

“One clear demonstration of Ghana's leadership has been to host the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response,” she said.

According to her, Canada has been instrumental in the fight against Ebola in the three West African countries worst affected by the pandemic.

Dr Cheryl Gopaul-Saikali disclosed that the Canadian government has provided 109.4 million Canadian dollars to the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to help address the health, humanitarian and security implications of the spread of Ebola.

At the Ghana country level, she indicated that the Canadian government last month made available to three organisations namely the Catholic Health Service, the Presbyterian Health Service in the North and World Vision Ghana, a cash amount of about $ 115,000 to help build awareness about Ebola within rural areas.

Commenting on the exercise at Madina, Dr Cheryl Gopaul-Saikali said, “Canada is proud to collaborate with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce-Ghana and its affiliated companies to increase awareness on Ebola.”

Meanwhile, Operations Manager of Dalex Finance Limited, Joe Jackson, speaking to DAILY GUIDE lamented that despite the numerous educational campaigns, many people across the country were still uninformed about the existence and dangers of Ebola.

BY Melvin Tarlue

body-container-line