Medical Director at the Ridge Hospital Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo says that the hospital has taken stock of new equipment that will enable them to test for Covid-19.

According to him, hitherto, the hospital had relied on either the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) or the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to conduct tests on their Covid-19 samples.

Speaking to JoyNews, he said that the new equipment, provided by Government will help the facility test for the virus, thereby reducing the wait time for patients.

“So when the patient arrived at the emergency ward we have an algorithm that we used to determine whether it is a suspected case.”

“We will do the test there and then and within a few hours will have the results and will know where the patient should be placed,” he said.

Dr Srofenyo assured that the hospital is now fully equipped and ready to start testing suspected patients.

Meanwhile, doctors at the Covid-19 treatment centre at Ridge Hospital say their work may be compromised if a dedicated oxygen supply point is not provided for Covid-19 patients.

Speaking to JoyNews, Dr Emmanuel Ahiable said there is a stable oxygen plant, however, supply is yet to be extended to the Covid-19 ICU.

So far 19 persons have succumbed to the virus at the Ridge Hospital in 2021 alone.