Two deployable level II hospitals funded by the United States Government were yesterday handed over to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) for use in peacekeeping operations.
The $6.5 million is to provide continuous training for GAF medical service personnel when preparing to deploy for any mission and the other, set for immediate deployment on United Nations Mission when required.
Speaking at the ceremony in Accra, the Minister for Defence, Dominic Ntiwul said the medical component of the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Programme (APRRP) was designed to enable GAF rapidly deploy and operate a UN-standard level II hospital should anything threaten the continent’s stability.
According to the minister, the programme was aimed at building sustainable capacities in selected African partner nations to enable rapid deployment in support of peacekeeping operations.
He said 50 personnel of GAF medical service had been trained as trainers of trainees by United States facilitators while workshops on clinical ultrasound, medical modelling and simulation, international trauma support , trauma nursing and field sanitation would be carried out next year.
Mr Ntiwul said the ultimate aim was to institutionalise all the courses, under a military trauma nursing school for the entire country soon.
He stated that the first batch of trainers of trainees course under the field sanitation programme would jointly facilitate the second iteration of the field sanitation workshop next month.
He said the training aspect of the medical component of the programme marked one of the most practical deployment experience acquisition mechanism for the GAF medical personnel.
Mr Ntiwul said the shared platform between GAF and the United States had provided the participants the opportunity to tap into the many years of deployment experience especially in subject areas of medical, planning, logistics and biomedical equipment repairs, field sanitation, vendor training and advance trauma life support.
On her part, the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan said the Ghana Armed Forces had earned global respect for its six decades in UN peacekeeping operations.
She said through APRRP, the United States government had invested in the capacity of Ghana and five other African countries that had proven themselves leaders in peacekeeping adding that Ghana had successfully demonstrated its commitment and capacity to lead the charge.
She said the United States and GAF had conducted three APRRP medical trainings and currently by medical and non- medical personnel of the force were receiving level II hospital vendor training in setting up and operating a deployable hospital.
She said the training which is expected to end this week would ensure the proper use of the equipments to improve the medical care of Ghana’s and other international peacekeepers.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
