There is a saying in Akan “wo nim ewuo aa hw3 nda” meaning, if you don’t know how death looks like take a look at sleep.
In 2014, cholera still remains an epidemic Ghana has been unable to effectively combat and now, we have to deal with the almighty Ebola disease which, we are told, is the deadliest virus the world has ever seen.
The virus has, so far, affected residents in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria but some way, somehow, Ghana still looks quite unprepared to battle the disease.
In March 2014, Parliament issued an alert and called for an “urgent national preparation” for a possible outbreak. (http://4cd.e16.myftpupload.com/2014/03/26/ghana-mps-issue-ebola-alert/) but here we are, still clueless about what to do.
The Ghana Health Service kept telling Ghanaians it has “put measures” in place to prevent a possible outbreak . It claimed it has trained health workers but the Ghana Medical Association says it is not ready to deal with an outbreak. (http://4cd.e16.myftpupload.com/2014/07/28/ghana-not-ready-to-battle-ebola-gma/).
I am convinced at this stage that 99.9% of medical officers will stay away if there is an outbreak in Ghana.
Citizens have been told that officials manning Ghana’s borders are equipped to handle Ebola cases but the Ghana Immigration Service has a different opinion. (http://4cd.e16.myftpupload.com/2014/07/29/immigration-service-ill-equipped-to-battle-ebola-palmdetti/).
The issue of illegal entries into the country still remains a serious matter that, if not urgently addressed, will lead to the entry of other nationals who have been infected with the disease.
Can somebody tell the President that we may have self inflicted economic crisis on our hands but we prefer to stay alive. We will all chose to live rather than die.
Five months since Ebola broke out in neighbouring West African countries, major hospitals in Ghana do not have what it takes to test a patient for the virus.
All blood samples have to make a trip to Noguchi and back before a blood test is confirmed negative or otherwise.
The hypothetical situations are over. The “if Ebola should cross into Ghana” statements are over because Ebola is coming – if it is not here already!
I know the press conference by the Ghana Health Service and the Communication Ministry was just the usual talk shop. You all know by now that holding press conferences and announcing measures always do not reflect the true state of affairs on the ground. When you hear “Measures have been put in place” or “Measures are being taken” “scoff at it! Because it means in actual terms “we are pretending to work.”
To date, health workers still do not have the full set of protective gears. I am even informed that some health facilities which have managed to create isolation centres, have them situated very close to other facilities.
How long did it take government to run television and radio adverts on the 17.5 % Value Added Tax (VAT)? Yet it’s almost eight months since the Ebola outbreak and very little is being done to sensitize people.
Months down the line, there are no adverts to create awareness on TV, local radio stations, information centres posters on Ebola. Nigeria has begun intensive sensitization after losing two people to Ebola. Believe it or not, people are not aware of Ebola. Interviewing some random Ghanaians on what they know about Ebola virus revealed only one in five people had a fair idea of what the disease is. One woman said the disease is airborne but went ahead to say you can contract it by eating bush meat. Others don’t believe the disease even exists.
People are not aware! Those who are aware have very little and inaccurate information. I won’t even talk about our village folks.
What is the information services department doing? The National Commission on Civic Education should probably get involved. People should be trained and armed with information to go round educating people. You don’t sit in the city and assume everybody is aware of Ebola -not in a country so superstitious like ours.
The WHO estimates that the virus is likely to continue spreading at least until the year ends. A professor at the University of London admitted on the BBC on Tuesday 29th July that not much is being done to find a cure or vaccine to Ebola.
Now a serum seems to be working for two American doctors who have the disease but “the president of the world” Barack Obama says what seems like a cure to Ebola should not be sent to West Africa yet.
So, for now, all we can do is to take preventive measures and pray as we remain our typical African selves and wait for a western solution to this problem. In the meantime let me continue to remind you that we are from Africa a continent saddled with useless leaders giving useless and clueless leadership.
Take care and know that no life lost to Ebola will be accounted for. In fact no life lost in Ghana is accounted for.
Author: Betty Kankam-Boadu
Website: bkankamboadu.blogspot.com