A team from Germany yesterday visited the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to access its Ebola preparedness, as well as the state of public health care in the country.
Led by the German Minister of Health, Mr Hermann Groehe, and the Minister of Economic Co-operation, Dr Gerd Mueller, the 30-member team visited the yet-to-be completed Korle-Bu Ebola Isolation Unit and the proposed $500,000 Multi-purpose Epidemic Centre.
Earlier, the team visited the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) to acquaint itself with the testing procedures of the institute where all suspected Ebola cases are screened in the country.
Made up of two members of the German Parliament, humanitarian experts from the Red Cross and journalists, the team will continue their mission to Liberia to assess at first hand the extent of damage of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) on the healthcare system of that country.
According to Mr Groehe, the German government was making available 70,000 euros over a period of two years to rebuild the healthcare needs of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three countries in West Africa which were severely hit by the EVD.
Commendation
Mr Groehe commended the government for allowing the country to be used as the hub for Ebola logistic evacuation.
He said the international community was grateful to Ghana for its commitment and support towards the eradication of Ebola.
Mr Groehe said it was time for countries to draw lessons from the outbreak of Ebola and its effect to strengthen their health-care facilities.
He added that there was the need to support the affected countries to restore and strengthen their healthcare systems.
Dr Mueller said there was the need to help rebuild better healthcare systems in the region as a whole.
According to him, Germany was providing healthcare support in the areas of equipment, awareness creation and training for health professionals in the West African sub-region.
Korle-Bu’s preparedness
The Medical Director, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Samuel Asiamah, who conducted the team round the facility, said the hospital was adequately prepared to handle any case of Ebola.
He said through training and simulation exercises, it had been able to identify its shortfalls and addressed them adequately to enable its staff to be well prepared.
The Head of Public Health, Korle Bu, Dr Philip K. Amoo, who also briefed the team, said through the participation of 42 health volunteers in a regional response coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country was better prepared to handle cases in the country.
Writer's email-rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh
