The Ministry of Health has received 470,000 surgical face masks valued at $145, 000 from the government of Germany to support the fight against COVID-19
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Office presented the items on behalf of the German government in Accra last Friday.
The Ag. German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Hans-Helge Sander, said the German government would also hand over 5,000 pulse oximeter, 45 ventilators and other medical consumables estimated at €380,000.
He said Germany was donating the face masks mainly because until herd immunity was achieved with vaccines, the most proven way of preventing the spread of COVID-19 was through the safety protocols, which included the wearing of face masks.
“With the ongoing spread and characteristics of the Delta variant around the world, which is more contagious and can cause severer harm than other variants, personal protective measures are more important than ever,” he said.
“Today’s donation of masks is just one part of Germany’s effort to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic globally. With €2.2 billion, Germany is also the second biggest donor to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) the organization behind the COVAX facility,” Mr. Sander added.
He said beyond the donation of face masks globally, the German government had pledged to make available at least 30 million vaccine doses to developing countries by the close of 2021.
Mr. Sander said efforts were already underway to get the first shipment sent out and the German Embassy would soon provide details on when shipment might reach the country.
“Ghana is and will remain an important partner to us and we are proud to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health to strengthen Ghana’s health system,” he said.
Gratitude
A Deputy Minister of Health, Alhaji Mahama Asei Seini, who received the items on behalf of the ministry expressed gratitude to the German government and the WHO for the support.
He described the two as faithful partners in the national quest to achieve a healthy population for national development.
Alhaji Seini cited their support over the years to include technical and material.
Concern
The Country Representative of the WHO, Dr. Francis Kasolo, said the WHO had noted with concern the surge in COVID-19 cases coupled with serious non-compliance to the public health measures by majority of the public.
“Let the emphasise that the pandemic is not yet over and Ghana is not out of the woods yet. I urge all ministries, departments and agencies responsible for enforcement to play their respective roles to ensure adherence”. “This is the only way we can, as a country, minimize transmission and prevent the current increase in the COVID-19 morbidities and mortalities we are experiencing”, Dr. Kasolo said
Source: Daily Graphic
