Tema Hospital Ebola Isolation Centre nears completion

Work on an isolation centre for Ebola cases at the Tema General Hospital is progressing steadily. When completed, the 11-bed facility will have holding rooms for any anticipated Ebola case. Work is expected to be completed on September 8, this year.

When the Daily Graphic visited the construction site, the contractor had laid blocks and erected a specialised tent while artisans were busily fixing other installations to get the project ready.

The foreman at the site, who would not give out his name, was optimistic that the deadline would be met. 

Isolation centres

The Tema General Hospital is one of three Ebola isolation centres in the country. It will serve the southern sector, while the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi will handle cases for the middle belt and the Tamale Teaching Hospital will serve the northern sector.

With the scare of the Ebola epidemic heightening, many have raised concern over the preparedness of the various health facilities to handle any suspected case.

Deaths

According to the World Health Organisation, as of August 26, 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the four countries stoods at 3069, including 1552 deaths.

WHO gave the distribution and classification of the cases as follows: Guinea, 647 cases (482 confirmed, 141 probable and 25 suspected), including 430 deaths; Liberia, 1378 cases (322 confirmed, 674 probable and 382 suspected), including 694 deaths; Nigeria, 17 cases (13 confirmed, 1 probable and 3 suspected), including 6 deaths; and Sierra Leone, 1026 cases (935 confirmed, 37 probable and 54 suspected), including 422 deaths.