Accra, Ghana, March 25, 2020//-Community Focus Foundation Ghana (CFF-GH) has expressed its displeasure with the government’s piece meal response in preventing and containing the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
As the president of Ghana rightly said that “we are not in normal times” one will expect government’s clear-cut rapid response strategy detailing what will be done in the short, medium and long terms regarding prevention and containment of the spread. Unfortunately that is not being done which the NGO considers very dangerous.
The Executive Director of CFF-GH, Richard Kasu who expressed these sentiments in a press statement, observed with sadness the economical nature in which critical information on COVID-19 is being churned out.
In his words: “We are of the strongest view that by now, Ghanaians need to be briefed on the number of trained frontline health workers, amount released so far from the $100 million COVID-19 fund, number and location of isolation centres across the country, number of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) procured and their date of arrival, number of Test Kits procured, PPEs to be distributed per a facility, insurance package for frontline health workers, total number of tested traced contacts, status of people who arrived in the country between 12th and 22nd March among other critical issues”.
The confirmed cases and their contacts as announced by the Ministry of Health between 12th and 24th March, 2020 alone is staggering and should be a major concern to all Ghanaians, according to Mr Kasu.
“Government must not wait till our health facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients before putting in additional measures including lockdown and mass testing as wrongly done in some jurisdictions”.
Truth be told, our fragile health facilities cannot contain this pandemic if we allow the outbreak to reach its peak. Ghana government must take a cue from the mistakes committed by other countries and do the right thing now before it becomes too late”.
He recommended a total or partial lockdown (lockdown of Accra, Tema, and Kumasi) to stem the spread of the virus.
“Government must engage and support the scientific community to conduct trial on chloroquine to determine its efficacy in the treatment of the virus. Licensed herbalist must also be supported to come out with a cure for the virus”, he added.
Ghana has so far recorded 53 confirmed coronavirus cases with two deaths.
African Eye Report
