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A senior lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS) has given a boost to the ongoing fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nabdam, a district in the Upper East Region.
Dr Vida Nyagre Yakong donated some personal protective equipment (PPE) on Friday to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in support of the global drive against the spread of a pandemic that has so far claimed 59,159 lives and left 1,098,386 people infected worldwide. The items include Veronica buckets, hand sanitisers and protective hand gloves among others.
“We are bringing these ones to you to help yourselves in the campaign against the coronavirus pandemic. We know the health workers are vulnerable. Everybody is vulnerable. That is why we have brought them (the PPE) so that you can start using them as early as possible,” said Philomena Yakong, who presented the items on behalf of the lecturer at Nangodi, the Nabdam District’s capital.
The district’s director of health services, James Tobiga Naabil, embraced the donation, calling it a timely intervention in front of a clapping crowd of health staff and aides of Dr Yakong who was named recently among a team of technical experts to assist in government’s anti-COVID-19 fight.
“On behalf of the District Health Management Team (DHMT), I want to thank Dr Vida [Yakong] and her team for this gesture. We have been looking forward [to] all these. We find it difficult to get some of these things,” remarked the director.
He added: “And it is very important that the health service providers, who are at the forefront so far as this disease is concerned, are protected well before they can also protect others. We appreciate it very much. It is when the health staff are protected that they can feel comfortable to also provide the services to the people.”
Half of health facilities in Nabdam lack running water to fight COVID-19— GHS
Hand-washing with soap under running water is one of the best ways experts have recommended to avoid contracting the strange virus. But half of the twenty-two (22) health facilities in the Nabdam District do not have running water, according to the GHS.
“For this disease, we are emphasising that people should wash their hands under running water. So, if you don’t have the running water, what happens? In this district, only a few facilities have got running water. We are in constant dialogue with the district assembly to get us running water in the facilities so that people can easily get water to wash their hands as we are advocating that they should wash their hands under running water.
“Even our DHMT, we don’t have water. We have to hire a woman every day [to fetch water for us]. That is what we are using. But this is not very critical, because we are not service providers; this is an administrative wing. Where the water is needed most is the health facilities. Most of the facilities are without water. They go to the boreholes to fetch and come and fill the Veronica buckets. So, if we could get a borehole to each facility and mechanise it, that would be excellent. Imagine you are conducting labour in a room and there is no water, what happens? It is a big challenge,” said Mr. Naabil.
By Edward Adeti, Upper East Region, Daily Mail GH
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