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So far, a total of 3,656 healthcare providers have been infected with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and 14 of them succumbed to the disease, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said.
GHS Deputy Director General Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu, who said this assured that the Service would continue to use its available resources and expertise to ensure better protection and safety for all healthcare providers.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day 2020 Central Region Health Sector Annual Performance Review in Cape Coast on Wednesday, Dr Ofosu recounted how the pandemic disrupted the provision of health services, especially during the first and second quarter of 2020.
The performance review focused on the theme “Achieve universal health coverage, containing the COVID-19 pandemic, improving good governance and services; the role of stakeholders ”.
For example, Dr. Ofosu indicated that attendance to OPD decreased by 11 percent and the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions saw greater decreases in OPD services.
He said there was a reduction in total hospital admissions, while the bed occupancy rate was also down 19.3 percent compared to the previous year.
“We witnessed a decline in the integrity of most essential services indicators after May 2020, and a more pronounced decline in August and September 2020,” he said.
The reductions, according to Dr. Ofosu, exacerbated prevailing stagnant service indicators, such as Anemia in women and children, and slowed the rate of reduction in the neonatal mortality rate, undermining progress toward meeting the goals of the Health-related SDGs.
He said the GHS will continue to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to implement comprehensive public health measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Commenting on ongoing vaccination, Dr. Ofosu said that vaccination was an additional preventive measure in the fight against the pandemic and urged health workers with the necessary experience and knowledge in vaccination to help educate communities. on the importance and necessity of getting vaccinated when available.
“Regardless of the introduction of vaccines, we must all strive to comply with all preventive protocols to protect others and remember that we must win the fight against COVID-19,” he said.
Dr. Sofonias Asrat, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), stressed the need to build a resilient health system capable of providing quality health services in times of crisis.
He said WHO had and would continue to work with the EMS and stakeholders to meet the challenge of providing ongoing services and personal protective equipment. [PPE].
The Rev. Professor Herald Amonoo Kuofie, who chaired the event, encouraged the GHS to establish structures to promote and support health research to provide a scientific basis for the delivery of health services in the country.
He admitted that geographic and environmental challenges make it difficult to achieve universal health care.
