Veep calls for vigilance in fight against Ebola
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has called for extreme vigilance in the effort to prevent an Ebola outbreak in the country as the Christmas season approaches.
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He said there was a high probability that some Ghanaian citizens who lived and worked in countries that had experienced Ebola outbreaks would return home for the festivities.
“The health system has to be ready for any eventuality,” Mr Amissah-Arthur stressed.
He was speaking at the 11th Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra last Wednesday.
The AGSM of the college is a moment to review the performance, prospects and challenges of the college. It also provides for the established tradition of admitting as members and fellows of the college, deserving individuals who have successfully completed their training and passed their examinations.
This year’s programme was on the theme: “Improving Emergency Care in Ghana.”
Ebola figures
According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, about 6,300 people, mainly in West Africa, have died from the disease.
While more than 6,000 suspected and probable cases loom, according to WHO, health workers are battling more than 11,000 confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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The Vice-President’s call is against the backdrop that experts have detected mutations of the Ebola virus that patients can test positive for but not fall ill.
He observed that the disease would not be eradicated anytime soon because of the mutations.
So far more than 130 suspected cases tested in Ghana by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research have proven negative.
Mr Amissah-Arthur made a strong case for an electronic health record system that would allow for the exchange of patients’ health information between health facilities visited by the same patients.
Turning his attention to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Vice-President noted that the establishment of the college, combined with improved remuneration for doctors in the public sector, was meeting the aspiration of the country’s young doctors.
Since its establishment in 2003, the college has produced 541 specialists that comprise 247 in medicine and 294 in surgery.
Emergency care
Delivering a lecture on improving emergency care in Ghana, Dr George Oduro, the Head of the Emergency Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, said although pre-hospital care was crucial for saving the lives of patients during emergencies, it was still a major challenge in the country.
He pointed out that while the government had provided infrastructure for emergency care at major teaching hospitals, the human resource to provide care was inadequate.
The way out, Dr Oduro said, was for the country to invest in emergency systems that were cost-effective and reliable.