GHS to soon provide funds needed to test for Coronavirus

The Ghana Health Service says they will soon provide funds urgently needed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for the testing of Coronavirus.

According to the Ministry, the urgent funds will help the institute carried it works as they wait for the Presidency to release some funds promised them.

Director of Public Health at the GHS Dr Badu Sarkodie in an interview with Joy FM said they urgent funds will be released soon.

“I have just had discussions with the ……and if there is something we can even give to them in advance as we are waiting for the release from the Presidency, we need to speed up on this so I have requested that the Director-General should look at essential areas and provide some funds to these people so that when this money comes it goes to replace 

No funds yet

Director of Virology at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Professor William Ampofo said testing for a virus especially in large numbers needs a lot of work.

Prof. Ampofo said a lot of things needed to be put in place to make the facility ready to test for the Coronavirus.

“To test a thousand people you will need to put resources in place because it takes six hours to test samples, is not that easy you need to have a full PP. You need research capacity, staff trained and protocols working…”

“This outbreak started towards the end of December, we just had a crisis meeting with President and we hope that they will get to us because when you order supplies with urgency and even if you are doing courier it takes some time..” he added. 

Reported cases

The Ministry of Health said there have been nine suspected cases of coronavirus reported in Ghana since the outbreak started in China.

According to the Ministry of Health, all the suspected cases have turned out to be negative.

The sector Minister, Kweku Agyeman-Manu in a statement he signed on Thursday, February 6, 2020, said the nine include the two suspected cases that were reported at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.

“Here in Ghana, we have recorded 9 suspected cases including the recent two from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. All of these cases have tested negative,” the statement said.

He said the government through the Health Minister and the Ghana Health Service are doing all it takes to ensure that the virus is not imported into the country.