Forum on Ebola held in Accra to solicit

Ghana is facing a shortfall of almost GH¢53,000 in the effort to adequately prepare against a possible Ebola outbreak.

So far the government and its donor partners have realised only GH¢24,000 out of an estimated GH¢77,000, leaving a deficit of about GH¢53,000.

To help offset the deficit, a national stakeholders forum to solicit inputs from the private sector and civil society organisations (CSOs) towards the National Preparedness and Response Plan on Ebola, was yesterday held in Accra.

The forum, which was attended by Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and former ministers of health, also brought together chiefs, queenmothers, traditional healers and faith-based organisations, who deliberated on how to be part of the government’s Ebola response strategy.

The forum, organised by the Ministry of Health (MoH), with support from the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ), was thus aimed at ensuring that the country put together a co-ordinated response to tackle Ebola in the event of its outbreak in the country.

Keynote address

The occasion also marked the launch of a Private Sector Tool Box which is a documentation on Ghana’s alertness and preparation on Ebola.

In a keynote address read on his behalf, President John Dramani Mahama said the Ebola disease outbreak was a public health emergency deserving of an urgent, strong and coordinated international response.

He said in an era where regional crises could quickly become global threats, stopping Ebola was in the interest of the entire world.

The Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, who performed the launch on behalf of the President, said Ghana had taken upon itself to provide the necessary leadership in the sub-region to curb the outbreak by hosting the United Nations Mission for Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER).

“Many of you may be wondering why Ghana is the logistics hub for the sub-region; this is because we are living in an era of globalisation-when national borders matter less and our common humanity matters more”, he said.

Ghana’s response

Mr Agyemang-Mensah said the National Preparedness and Response Plan had been structured in five thematic areas which were surveillance, case management, risk communication and social mobilisation, coordination and security and logistics.

The government, he said, had also installed three walk through thermometers at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to check the temperature of travellers, while 80 infrared thermometers were being used for screening at various entry points, among other mesures.

Also, a group of health professionals made up of epidemiologists, infection disease experts, clinicians, communication experts and a nurse had undergone training in Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) in Congo Brazzaville and Brussels.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, who gave an outline of the National Preparedness Plan, said the government was drawing lessons learnt from the country’s response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic, to make informed decisions on its preparation plan.

Writer's email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh