Dignitaries at the handing over ceremony
The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) Center for Surveillance and Disease Control, an agency under the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO) has delivered assorted medical equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Ghana.
The items, procured by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding from the European Union (EU) and Germany, included Covid-19 test kits containing sample collection items and reagents, oxygen concentrator, pulse oximeter, and oxygen masks among others.
Logistician at the ECOWAS Center for Surveillance and Disease Control, Samson Ayeni, addressing the media at the brief handing over ceremony at the Kotoka International Airport said Ghana’s consignment, which weighed10 tonnes, constitutes the second batch of ECOWAS medical supplies to member states.
“What this supply will do is to help strengthen health system by protecting the health workers. We hope that the supplies today will be well used… This is not the last of the distribution, ECOWAS is still procuring items,” he said.
Head of EU Delegation to Ghana, Diana Acconcia, said the items are to help the ECOWAS region fight against Covid-19.
“Today is one year that the EU lunched the Europe emergency support to help partners fight against Covid-19. Since then, we have collected 40 billion Euros from the EU member states and banks to help our partners fight against Covid-19… 26 billion Euros have already been spent,’ she explained.
Madam Acconcia indicated that since the pandemic, the EU has supported Ghana with 87 million Euros as emergency budget support and “we are supporting with distribution of PPE and food to the communities most in need. Again, we supported the COVAX facility with 2.2 billion Euros and hope that more vaccines will come to Ghana in the future.”
German Ambassador to Ghana, Christpher Retzlaff, lauded Ghana for having managed the pandemic effectively, recording low number of fatalities and getting its frontline workers and population at risk vaccinated.
He said Germany has supported Ghana with a package worth 25 million Euros, to increase testing and treatment facilities as well as provided avenues for small and medium scale businesses to continue working during the pandemic.
Chief Director, Ministry of Health, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, who received the items on behalf of the country expressed his gratitude to the donors adding that they will be distributed to over 20 testing and treatment facilities.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri