Ghana Battle Ready For Coronavirus Just Like We Did For Ebola – Ledzokuku MP

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye believes Ghana is well prepared to deal with a possible outbreak of coronavirus (COVID 19).

Ghana served as the Command Centre for medical response to Ebola in the sub-region with officials at the time indicating that the country recorded no case.

Contributing to deliberations on the disease in Parliament on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, Dr. Okoe Boye said because Ghana handled Ebola between 2014 and 2016, the country is equally poised to avert the spread of Coronavirus.

He disclosed that Ghana actually recorded and treated an Ebola case at the height of the epidemic in West Africa that claimed many lives across the globe.

Dr. Okoe Boye, therefore, allayed the fears of Ghanaians insisting that the country’s preparation mechanisms are proof that Ghana’s susceptibility to a Covid 19 outbreak is minimal.

“This country treated Ebola when a case was presented at the Emergency Unit of Tema General Hospital. So I have to tell you that my colleagues who received training just like how doctors are now receiving training for Coronavirus were able to handle this case in such a way that, not even one person got infected although we sadly lost the patient. But we pride ourselves in the fact that because of the preventive measures, nobody contracted the disease. Mr. Speaker, any country that was ready to handle the Ebola case can handle Coronavirus.”

The Ministry of Health is set to receive an additional GHS11 million to help it prepare and contain an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, should it surface in the country.

Sector Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu made this known when he briefed the media on the state of the country's preparedness on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.

According to him, the Ministry is still in talks with the Finance Ministry on getting more resources at its disposal.

“We had an initial budget of GHS35 million, got seed money of GHS 2.8 million and we have an indication of an additional GHS11 million. Aside from these two tranches, the Finance Minister has met with Bank of Ghana where we also met with them to discuss a comprehensive budget with the view of trying to get more resources to put at our disposal towards this fight,” said the Minister.

The Minister of Health has also said the government is setting up a 100-bed capacity facility in a remote area to serve as a centre for quarantining persons with suspected coronavirus infection.

According to him, the facility will be ready in two weeks' time.

He further outlined other new measures the government has put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus into the country.

“For surveillance, we have inducted and circulated Covid-19 case definitions to regional and lower levels. We have also adopted a Cobid-19 investigation form which is currently in use. The national rapid response team has been activated. The national-level training for rapid response teams and local health workers on severe respiratory illnesses has been done. Training of regional and district rapid response teams has been planned for execution.”

The Ministry of Health is set to receive an additional GHS11 million to help it prepare and contain an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, should it surface in the country.

Already, President Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed his satisfaction with the measures Government has put in place to deal with the threat of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

—citinewsroom