Ebola scare —Health workers cautioned
Health workers have been cautioned against causing needless panic and fear about the Ebola disease.
As frontliners in the healthcare system, they have also been urged to update their knowledge on infection prevention and control of the disease rather than becoming alarmists.
Four doctors made the call at a symposium organised by the Greater Accra Division of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).
Doctors’ call
The Greater Accra President of the GMA, Dr Ernest Yorke, the Medical Superintendent of the Ridge Regional Hospital, Dr Obeng Apori, the Head of the Public Health Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Philip Amoo, and a Public Health Physician, Dr Oliver Commey, in separate presentations, called on health practitioners to set the pace by being proactive in updating their knowledge in preparadness for any contingency.
Dr Philip Amoo, who is also a member of the National Technical Committee on Ebola, said the Noguchi Memorial Institute, which was the diagnostic laboratory for all Ebola cases, had become fed up with panic samples being sent there for testing.
“The reagents for the tests are running very low. We cannot continue like this. It is not fair to base suspicions just on symptoms that may be indicative of other conditions, call them Ebola victims and run away from patients,” he said. “Health workers, please stop this,’ he appealed.
Rather, Dr Amoo entreated health personnel to take patients through the routine of finding out whether they had been exposed to Ebola through close contacts with someone who had returned from an Ebola-infested country or whether they had travelled to any of the countries experiencing the outbreak.
Ghana, Ebola-free
He said as of August 19, out of a total of 62 suspected cases that had been tested at the Noguchi Memorial Institute, none had proven positive which was an indication that Ghana still remained Ebola-free.
Dr Obeng Apori indicated that while it was understandable that the public got scared of the disease, he added, “if those of us at the forefront start running away, then what can the rest do.”
It was important, he said, that health professionals learnt quickly from the experiences of countries that had experienced the outbreak so as to take preventive and effective measures to counter the threat.
More energetic response
From an initial slow response from the health ministry concerning its preparedness against a possible outbreak, Dr Ernest Yorke said, the GMA had seen a more energetic attempt at preparing the nation over the past two weeks.
While acknowledging the release of funds by President John Mahama as part of the preparations, he said more funds were needed to be able to prepare adequately against a possible outbreak.
For his part, Dr Oliver Commey said a lot of measures had been taken in preparation for an outbreak but due to the lack of effective communication, it had been said that the country was not prepared for Ebola.
Ghana at high risk
Dr Nana Ayegua Hagan Seneadza, who spoke on infection control, said tackling the threat posed by Ebola, required health personnel to adhere strictly to the tenets of infection, prevention and control.
“We need to watch some of our practices. Poor practices expose us to a lot of risks” adding that the systematic applications of the standard precautions in handling patients would protect health workers from contracting the disease even if they unknowingly came into contact with a victim in the course of their work.
Writer’s email: victor.kwawukume@graphic.com.gh