Government says it is concerned about the lives and safety of all frontline workers in the fight against the Coronavirus (covid-19), and said it is procuring more Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for their safety.
It follows series of complains by some of these frontline workers providing medical care and assistance including the police and military about the non availability or shortage of some of the basic equipment to protect themselves from possible infection of the virus.
In a national broadcast Sunday evening, President Akufo-Addo was first to admit “it is vital that we protect the lives of our frontline health workers, who are risking their lives every day to battle this virus.”
He said it was the reason “why Government is placing a high priority on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for them.”
“Three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) masks, five hundred and fifty eight thousand, six hundred and fifty (558,650) examination gloves, one thousand (1,000) reusable goggles, twenty thousand (20,000) cover-alls, seven thousand (7,000) N-95 respirators, five hundred (500) waterproof gumboots, two thousand (2,000) reusable face shields, two thousand (2,000) gallons of hand sanitizers, ten thousand (10,000) 100ml pieces of hand sanitizers, and five hundred (500) shoe covers have been sent to the regional health directorates, for onward distribution to the district health directorates for use by our health workers in all the districts.”
He therefore asked the Minister for Health to ensure that they reach the health workers, whiles admitting that “more needs to be done, especially in the face of the global shortage of PPEs.”
“It is for this reason that Government is actively engaged with local manufacturing companies to assist them in the domestic production of PPEs., and I am encouraged by the response from the Ghanaian private sector. Domestic production of face masks, head covers, surgical scrubs and gowns will commence from Tuesday. For example, three million, six hundred thousand face masks will be produced domestically, with an output of one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) per day”, he emphasised.
He expressed delight with the invention of a solar-powered hand washing sink by one Jude Osei from Kumasi, and the ‘COVID-19 prevention electronic bucket’ made by Kelvin Owusu Dapaah and Richard Boateng, both students of Obuasi Senior High and Technical School, admitting to the fact that “necessity, indeed, is the mother of invention”, as the Ghanaian sense of enterprise and innovation is beginning to be felt.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu