The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Ghana, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has handed over 10 ICU beds to three hospitals in the country.
The beneficiary hospitals are the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital and the Ghana Police Hospital.
The donation forms part of the German Government’s support to Ghana in ensuring infrastructure is in place for reliable treatment of medical staff and critically ill patients who require care because of Covid-19.
In October 2020, the German Government, through GIZ, donated 14 ventilators, patient monitors, humidifiers and consumables to six hospitals in Accra.
This was facilitated by the Covid-19 Alliance of Ghanaian Hospitals to Secure Medical Staff project, under the GIZ implemented development partnerships with the private sector (develoPPP) programme.
After the donation, a needs assessment was carried out to identify further needs of the hospitals and recommendations of the need’s assessment pointed to the need for ICU beds, volumetric pumps and syringe pumps to support the provision of care in an ICU setting.
Presenting the equipment on behalf of GIZ, Fred Darko Effah, Technical Advisor GIZ Ghana said, “GIZ is committed to supporting Ghana’s efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic through its various programmes and partnerships with the private sector. Besides the work being done to improve health infrastructure, GIZ, through its develoPPP programme, is providing healthy nutritious meals to Covid-19 frontline health workers at the Ghana Infectious Disease Center (GIDC), helping with the development of low-cost ventilators as well as the production of hand sanitiser from cassava ethanol.”
Mr Effah encouraged private companies to find out more about the GIZ implemented develoPPP programme and to take part in their quarterly Ideas Competition.
Receiving the medical equipment on behalf of the partner facilities, the Director of Medical Affairs at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Ali Samba, expressed his gratitude to GIZ for their continued support towards Ghana’s health infrastructure through the project.
He said “The pandemic is still ongoing and it is important we keep improving the state of our ICUs for what may come.
This donation by GIZ will go a long way in supporting patients who end up in the ICU with respiratory distress and require care”
The Covid-19 Alliance of Ghanaian Hospitals to Secure Medical Staff project brings together two private hospitals namely Nyaho Medical Centre and Lister Hospital and Fertility Centre as well as four government hospitals, International Maritime Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Ghana Police Hospital and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, with the private bio-medical biomedical company, Hospital Engineering Limited to work towards equipping Intensive Care Units of the partnering hospitals and the exchange of knowledge on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic through training and meetings.
The project has also supported the improvement of water facilities and the emergency area of the University Hospital, Legon by providing and installing water pumps as well as privacy screens and hospital beds.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri