Naagyei 90.3 Fm Agyapa
At least 779 health workers in Ghana have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as a result of inadequate PPE for frontline staff.
According to the Joint Health Union, 190 members of the Ghana Medical Association(GMA), 410 nurses, 156 members of the Health Services Workers Union, and 23 members of the Pharmacist Association constitute the infected health professionals.
Nine of the members have already lost their lives to the virus.
The Joint Health Union has urged the government to regularly supply healthcare personnel with PPE to avert the breakdown of the country’s health delivery system.
“We came together because our people are suffering, the rate at which doctors and nurses and members of the Health Services Workers Union are getting infected is at an alarming rate. Can you imagine 779 of our members-150 doctors, 410 nurses in fact already we’ve lost 4 doctors, 3 nurses, 3 health services workers union members and we think this is unacceptable.
“…we’re drawing the attention of the public that COVID-19 is real. We the health workers who are fighting COVID-19 are being affected by the virus now so we needed to make people aware that is real. So if they allow themselves to be infected by not abiding by the safety protocols what will happen is that they will eventually bring it to the hospital and we’ll be affected. If care is not taken, there’ll come a point when by the time whey come to the hospital they won’t have anybody to look after them because most of us will then be in quarantine. We appeal to the government for PPE to be made readily available in abundance in the hospitals.” President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea told the media on the sidelines of a press conference in Accra.
