Dignitaries being conducted around the facility
A High Dependency Unit (HDU) for the extensive care of severe and critical Covid-19 cases has been opened at the St. Dominic Hospital, Akwatia in the Eastern Region.
The 10-bed facility, established with funding from UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is under the Covid-19 Institutional Capacity Building (CRIB) project being implemented by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG).
The project is to augment the government’s effort to effectively respond to the pandemic and ensure continuity of routine healthcare services particularly in deprived areas of the country.
In all, three HDUs at an estimated cost of GH¢800,000 are being established under the CRIB project to serve the Northern, Middle and Southern belts of the country.
British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, who inaugurated the facility, expressed the UKs continued support to Ghana’s Covid-19 response.
She said the UK has so far committed £6 million in areas of capacity building, risk communication, purchase of essential logistics and vaccine distribution.
Ms. Thompson urged management of the St. Dominic Hospital to ensure proper maintenance of the equipment to provide quality care to patients.
“The skills and equipment we are providing are useful not just for treatment of severe Covid-19 but also for other diseases needing critical care. We must prepare for the future while addressing the now,” she urged.
Executive Director, CHAG, Dr. Peter Yeboah, said under the CRIB project, six testing sites have been adequately resourced in the Upper East, Bono, Ashanti, Central and Eastern regions to conduct PCR tests for Covid-19.
“So far a total of 21,158 tests have been conducted in the 40 participating districts of which 4,419 tests were conducted in CHAG facilities using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with 1,264 positive cases,” he said.
He added that over 6,000 health workers have been trained and 40 isolation units established.
Dr. Yeboah stressed that CHAG was committed to “harnessing infrastructure, access to social spaces and trusted assets in promoting fruitful partnership towards strengthening our health system to be responsive, robust and resilient.”
St. Dominic Hospital Administrator, Rev. Father Ebenezer Abban, expressed gratitude to CHAG for establishing the facility at the hospital that has recorded 355 positive Covid-19 cases since April 2020.
“The establishment of the HDU will help us better treat and manage severe cases,” he said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri