A high dependency unit to manage Covid-19 cases has been handed over to management of the St Dominic Hospital at Akwatia in the Eastern Region.
The facility is to complement government’s efforts in combating Covid-19 in rural areas with geographical barriers.
The British High Commission and the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) handed over the high dependency unit for the treatment of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases to management of the St. Dominic Hospital.
The Hospital at Akwatia has managed 350 positive cases since the recording of Covid-19.
The Hospital Administrator, Fr. Ebenezer Kenneth Abban, noted hitherto samples were taken to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research for testing, which caused delays in case management.
CHAG with funding from Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under its Covid-19 Response and Institutional Capacity-building Project constructed the facility.
The high dependency unit, which is fully equipped with PCR (polymerase chain reaction), is one of the three facilities for Covid-19 testing and isolation to provide Covid-19 response in 40 districts in the northern, middle and southern sectors, where the health service has limited resources.
The Executive Director of CHAG, Dr Peter Yeboah, said ensuring equitable inclusion and contribution to socio-economic development of rural communities was critical.
The Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Winfred Ofosu, explained that a little over 5,000 Covid-19 cases with prevalance rate at 1.8 percent have been recorded in the Region.
He was elated several districts were recording zero Covid-19 case counts now.
The Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Asiedu Bekoe, expressed worry at the non-adherence to the protocols and the new phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy, which could erode government’s efforts he said.
The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, remarked the Covid crisis is an unprecedented complexity with devastating impact on developing economies.
She said the UK has committed 6 million pounds of its bilateral funds to support Ghana in its effort against the Covid-19 management and cautioned against non-compliance during the festive season.
By Yvonne Neequaye|3news.com|Ghana