Dep. Health Minister, K.A. Gyedu |
A Deputy
Minister for Health, Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, has inaugurated an Infectious
Disease Treatment Centre (IDTC) at the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern
Region of Ghana.
The construction of the IDTC, which was financed by
the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) at a cost of GH₵1.5 million
cedis, unfortunately lacks the
requisite equipment needed to enable the facility start full operation.
“As we will soon tour the facility you will notice
that the centre is not quite fully ready for use. More work needs to be done,
both in the areas of civil works and equipment……This centre is not walled and
hence not secure and safe. There is no access road linking this building to the
hospital or any major road for easy mobility and access, especially during
emergencies.
“This place is situated in a lowland area and is
therefore flood-prone. Extensive external works, including further filling,
paving and drainage are needed to prevent the centre from flooding during the
rainy season….Also, with training as part of its intended functions, the centre
will need training equipment” Dr. David Azaawomya Akolbila, Chief Exective
Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital said these at a short ceremony to
inaugurate the IDTC.
Dr. Akolbila appealed to KOICA and the Ministry of
Health to consider providing the needed resources to help find tune this centre
into a state of the art facility to carry out its functions effectively and
efficiently.
CEO of TTH, Dr. David A. Akolbila |
“I wish to appeal to KOICA again, the honourable
Regional Minister and the Metropolitan Chief Executive to consider extending an
access road to this centre and also provide a gated fence wall to secure the
premises”, he added.
The CEO of the Tamale Teaching Hospital commended the
Korea government for providing funds for the construction of the centre which
is expected to serve the entire Northern Ghana.
The Deputy Minister for Health, Mr Gyedu said the
facility would contribute immensely to preparedness towards public health
emergencies such as communicable diseases of epidemic nature.
He acknowledged the fact that the IDTC would need
competent staff and appropriate equipment to ensure effective and efficient
delivery of suitable services to clients sent to the centre.
Mr. Gyedu urged all health staff in the three regions
of the North to take cognizance of the centre and cooperate to make the
construction of the centre meaningful and functional.
The IDTC can host more than 16 beds. It has a water
tanker, equipped with an ambulance bay and is separated into green, yellow and
red zones as prescribed by the World Health Organisation in the wake of the
Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.
It is the first and only infectious disease isolation
centre in the Northern part of Ghana, and it is envisioned to improve the
country’s emergency preparedness and response plan on infectious disease for
the population it covers.
KOICA Country Director Yukyum Kim reiterated a
statement made by the Korean Ambassador Mr. Sung Soo Kim during the recent 40th
anniversary celebration of bilateral relations with Ghana saying “the
government of Korea will continue to be Ghana’s closest partner in
development”.
Mr. Kim announced that, as one of the signatories to
the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), the government of the Republic of
Korea through KOICA would continue to support Ghana infectious disease
preparedness under the GHSA umbrella starting from 2018 to 2020, particularly
in laboratory strengthening and workforce development.
He implored the management and staff of the Tamale
Teaching Hospital to properly maintain the IDTC facility and equipment so that
they would last longer.
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