Veep to commission 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre at Ga East today

Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will today, July 24, 2020 be commissioning the country’s first-ever 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre located at the Ga-East Municipal Hospital.

The project, which was undertaken by the Ghana Private Sector Fund at the National COVID-19 Treatment Centre commenced on April 17, 2020.

Per earlier plans, the project was expected to be completed in May 2020, but delayed due to various design enhancement including modifications in response to requests by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), other infectious disease clinicians as well as biomedical scientists.

Chairperson of the National COVID-19 Trust Fund, Madam Sophia Akuffo who went on sightseeing of the treatment centre expressed satisfaction with the work done so far.

The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund launched a crowdfunding initiative targeted at raising money to complete its flagship project, the infectious disease isolation and treatment facility at the Ga East Hospital in Accra.

Work on the facility began in mid-April after President Akufo Addo, as part of efforts to adhere to social distancing protocols used video conferencing facilities to administer a ceremony to break ground for work on the project to commence.

The project has been completed, having drawn financial support from various private and public sector organisations and high net worth individuals.

The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund was faced with a funding gap of ¢7.1 million but had to cover it through the #10GhanaChallenge to solicit for funds from the general public. This challenge offered as many Ghanaians as possible the opportunity to be part of history by contributing as little as ¢10 each towards the first infectious diseases treatment facility in Ghana.

In the words of the managing trustee of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund:

“This is a very historic project. Ghana has never had an infectious diseases medical facility and those of us who have been at the forefront of this project have been filled with a sense of privilege to serve our country in its health delivery system.”

The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund has however outlined plans to build three more of such facilities in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale to care and treat for people who contract infectious diseases like cerebrospinal meningitis among others.