The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday presented 55 oxygen concentrators and 1.8 million throat and nasal swabs to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in support of the country’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Other items donated included quantities of Virus Transport Medium and Nucleic extraction kits.
Presenting the items, the Acting Country Representative of WHO, Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, said the organisation was aware of the successes chalked up by the government in the fight against the pandemic.
“It is critical for Ghana to maintain the momentum and continue to detect, test, trace, isolate, treat and mobilise our people in this collective response to the point where the COVID-19 is no longer a public health threat,” she said.
Dr Kimambo explained that the WHO, with support of its partners, had provided technical and financial assistance towards the COVID-19 preparedness and response in the areas of coordination, surveillance and laboratory, case management and risk communication.
According to her, the assistance covered areas such as contact tracing and data management, assessment of case management facilities, training and laboratory case management.
She said following assessment of case management facilities in the country by the National COVID-19 Case Management Team, it was recommended for the capacity of facility managers to be built to enable them to handle severe COVID cases.
“This donation of oxygen concentrators is the first batch of equipment for treatment facilities,” she said.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kumah Aboagye, expressed gratitude to the WHO for the support and gave the assurance that the items would be put to proper use.
He explained that even though the country had made some progress in the fight against the pandemic, they were not lowering their guard.
Dr Aboagye said there was the need to improve on risk communication to ensure that the citizenry continued with all the necessary precautionary measures against the disease.
“Even though the numbers are going down, the people who are critically ill are still a cause for concern. We must ensure that we guard against a second wave of the infections so we can bring the cases down to a zero infection,” he emphasised.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
