The Health Ministry has admitted that only one out of the three Ebola treatment centers is ready for use.
The Ministry however insists that the nation is ready to handle any eventual Ebola outbreak despite the fact that only one of the three treatment centers is complete.
“The ones for the northern and middle zones are not ready yet but it does not mean that if we have cases in the middle and northern zones, we will not have places to treat them or manage them,” said the Deputy Health Minister, Dr Victor Bampoe.
A few months ago, government announced the establishment of three Ebola treatment centers in the southern, middle and northern belts of the country to handle any eventuality, but only one is ready.
[contextly_sidebar id=”N3hOwewOL3r71bvDlXmZLQGPLQNOLK1Q”]This is because government is yet to locate venues for the setting up of the two other treatment centers.
Speaking to Citi News at an Ebola training workshop for journalists organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Dr Bampoe stated that the government wants to create three treatment centers which will be centers of excellence.
According to him, while the government is striving to create excellent treatment centers, “we don’t want the perfect to be the enemy of the good.”
The Deputy Health Minister remarked that the completed center in Tema is “top notch” adding that in a few weeks, the officers in the army and some 48 engineers will begin the construction of the remaining two centers.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has indicated that it is monitoring some fishermen who returned to the country from Liberia for symptoms of the virus which has killed thousands in that country.
Rebecca Ackwonu of the GHS, explained that the fishermen could not be quarantined because they do not look ill..
“They have come, we have gone through the processes with them and they qualify to go home,” she said.
She pointed out that the incubation period for the signs and symptoms of Ebola to show is between the 2 to 21 days therefore, her outfit is monitoring the men.
“The good thing about Ebola is that if the signs and symptoms are not showing you don’t infect anybody so we are in touch with them and immediately there is a sign, they will be picked and isolated,” she added.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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