Containing COVID-19: Ministry of Health seeks financial clearance to employ more nurses

This is coming after President Akufo-Addo directed the MoH to mobilise new and retired health workers to support the frontline health professionals to care for infected persons.

A Deputy Minister of Health, Alexander K. Abban, said this at a meeting organised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to discuss ways to improve on its services, in the fight against the global pandemic.

Mr Abban said the employment of the nurses is part of measures by the government to enhance the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic

“We want to also ensure that there are no gaps in healthcare delivery because of inadequate nurses and midwives to attend to COVID-19 patients and ensure that the healthcare system is not disrupted.”

The Minister was also grateful to health professionals for their support and selfless roles in the fight against the COVID-19.

He acknowledged private hospitals and retired health professionals for their willingness to make their expertise available in the national COVID-19 response effort.

About 150 private health facilities have approached the ministry to offer voluntary service to the nation.

“In calling for people, we do not want to politicise this matter. The disease has shown that it is no respecter of political parties. This is why we are calling on anybody who can help in cash or in kind to come on board,” he added.

As of Thursday (March 26, 2020), Ghana has recorded 132 cases including 3 deaths.

A statement said that 78 of the confirmed cases are from the travelers under mandatory quarantine.

The Ghana Health Service in a statement said that "as at the morning of 26 March 2020, a total of fifty-four (54) cases including three (3) deaths have been confirmed from the regular surveillance systems. All the three (3) cases that unfortunately succumbed to the disease were aged and had underlying chronic medical conditions. All the other fifty-one (51) cases are well; fourteen (14) are being managed at home and the rest are responding well to treatment on admission in isolation. They are awaiting their test results and will be discharged when the results are negative."

The statement added that majority of the confirmed cases are Ghanaians, who returned home from affected countries. Seven (7) are of other nationals namely: Norway, Lebanon, China, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK).

In respect of contact tracing, a total of 970 contacts have been identified and are being tracked. Out of these, two hundred and four (204) have completed the 14 days mandatory follow up.