As the Coronavirus continues to spread, the Government of Ghana has set aside an amount of GH¢2.5 million ($455,000) to respond to the global outbreak.
Officials of the Ministry of Health disclosed this in Parliament on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
The sector Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu was summoned by the House to brief members on Ghana’s status and immediate actions taken by the Ministry following the pandemic.
He said the government is stepping up efforts in preparedness against the outbreak, which has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The government of Ghana has allocated an amount of GH¢2.5 million as start up funds towards the implementation of the initial response for our national preparedness plan. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has initiated plans to procure 10,000 pieces of personal protection equipment for the use of all our front line workers,” Citinewsroom.com quoted the minister as saying.
The new Coronavirus was first reported in the central of the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December. Since then it has claimed more than 200 lives and reached more than 15 countries.
More than 2,800 people have gotten sick. China has halted transportation in Wuhan and many other cities, effectively putting more than 50million people on lockdown.
No African countries have reported any confirmed new cases of Coronavirus, but a woman in Ivory Coast with flu-like symptoms was tested negative following days of isolation and tests.
She was a student in Beijing and had returned to her West African home after spending close to five years in China.
Ghana is yet to report a case, the Ministry said earlier on Friday.
Authorities have warned its citizens to avoid or delay non-essential travels, amid China’s fight against novel coronavirus outbreak.
By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH
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