Iduapriem PPE to five Community Health Centres

Members of the mining communities have been advised to adhere to safety protocols as AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine presented personal protective equipment (PPE) to five health facilities in its host community and pledged its commitment towards the fight.

The health facilities are Adieyie, Abompuniso, Bankyim, Wangarakrom, and Teberebie health centres to support the fight against the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality as cases continue to surge in the Western Region.

The items

The items included 40,000 pieces of hand gloves; 1,000 pieces of N95 facemasks; 1,300 300ML of hand sanitizers; and 5 infrared thermometers to help the health workers at the frontline go about their duties confidently.

Presenting the items on behalf of the Mine, Senior Manager in charge of Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), Mr Samuel Koffie, observed that the fight against COVID-19 would be difficult to win if healthcare professionals who are at the forefront of the battle are not well resourced and adequately protected.

“In the era of raging Covid-19 PPE became scarce and hottest commodity therefore we thought it wise to present this to the health professionals to discharge their daily duties and we hope the items will go a long way to assist in the fight against COVID – 19.

Response team

“I must say that the Mine had undertaken several interventions and measures to protect its employees, contractors and host communities from contracting COVID-19 in line with its Emergency Response Plan,” he said.

The mine he said has also embarked on rigorous sensitisation campaigns both on site and across our host communities to educate the people on COVID -19 preventive measures, saying:

“We have also donated hand washing facilities and assorted items to our host communities and high-risk areas in Tarkwa, including hospitals, lorry stations and major markets, as part of efforts to promote hand hygiene.”

Prevent further spread

For his part, Senior Manager – Sustainability, Stephen Adjei, pledged Iduapriem Mine’s commitment to working with the municipal Covid-19 Emergency Response Team to intensify community sensitisation and scale up contact tracing efforts to prevent further spread of the Coronavirus in the municipality.

Mr Adjei appealed to the general public to abide by the safety and social distancing protocols outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ghana Health Service by continuing to maintain social distance, wash hands with soap under running water, apply hand sanitizers and wear face masks.

The intended purpose

The Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Health Director, Mrs Caroline Effah Otoo, who received the items on behalf of the five health centres, commended the Mine for the gesture and assured that the items would be used for the intended purpose.

She also bemoaned reports of stigmatisation against patients who have recovered from Covid-19, stressing that such practices only derail collective efforts at combating the Coronavirus and admonished perpetrators to desist from such acts.