The Association of Health Service Administrators, Ghana (AHSAG) has urged the Ghana Health Service and government institutions in the health sector to set up an Infectious Disease Treatment Centre to deal with a possible outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in Ghana:

At a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on January 7, 2020, the Association said the existing Infectious Disease Centers such as those in Tamale and Tema should be put in a state of readiness to handle such cases.

“As a medium to long term measure, NEC suggests to Government to consider the establishment of specialised Centers for the treatment of highly infectious diseases such as the Coronavirus and Ebola,” the Association said in a press release.

The Association also recommended in the release that the Ghana Immigration Service, Port Health Authorities and other relevant Institutions should intensify surveillance at all approved entry points as well as all other possible entry points into the Country.

“All District Hospitals and District Health Directorates must also heighten surveillance and Emergency Preparedness,” the health service administrators urged.

On the recent release of 307 ambulances by government, AHSAG commended government for the move but notes that “from previous experiences, the initiative was not sustained because of the manner we managed the ambulances.”

It said to ensure continuous sustainability of ambulance services across the country, “the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) should ensure the availability of functional Ambulance Stations in their respective MMDAs. The Ambulance Stations should be well resourced and equipped to be able to respond to emergencies immediately calls are received. The MMDAs should also take good care of the operators of the Ambulance Stations to boost their morale in managing those Ambulance Stations.”

Read the full release below.