President of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jones Afriyie Anto, has intimated that the situation where nurses in the Region are contracting the COVID-19 virus is scary.
Speaking about the surge in infection among health workers in the region, he stated that statistics on the rate of the infection is not pleasing as more personnel keep contracting the virus.
“We are not so much surprised because of the changing nature of the variants of the COVID and all those things. But, what is now striking is the rate of the infectivity of the Omicron variants and the rate of health workers, especially nurses and midwives who are getting the virus”.
Jones Afriyie Anto
The GRNMA Regional President mentioned that the infections can be taken as a reflection of what is happening in the society because last year, the complaints of lack of PPEs and hand washing equipment had been resolved but the nurses are still getting infected.
“The statistics is so bad. If you go to the Ashanti Region for instance, the situation in Komfo Anokye is burdening the nurses. In some two weeks to come, we have to send more than half of the nurses and midwives particularly to quarantine”.
Jones Afriyie Anto
This, according to Mr. Anto has to be done so the nurses do not infect the public before they test positive to the virus.
The Ashanti Regional President’s comments come days after officials of the Komfo Anokye teaching hospital revealed that they could be forced to shut down the emergency unit of the hospital because more than half of it’s staff there have contracted the virus.
Admissions are low
According to Jones Anto, the fortunate thing is the fact that the admissions are very low on the path of the health workers. He indicated that it can be attributed to the vaccines they took.
“So the admission rate is down but the infection rate is so high; running the health system is becoming difficult. Because, if you are seen working with 21 nurses at a particular unit and all of a sudden you have to send 14 to 16 of them away, then how do you run the place and that is the problem”.
Jones Afriyie Anto
Jones Anto averred that the rate of infection among the health workers is not with the teaching hospital alone but other health institutions in the region as well. He disclosed that even some major facilities around in Bekwai, Obuasi and major facilities in Ashanti region are recording quite a number of nurses contracting the virus.
“Now we don’t know what to do. I must let you know. We have the mask, we have the hand washing equipment, and we have all the things”.
Jones Afriyie Anto
Touching on the possible cause of high rise of the infection within the health sector, he indicated that as the health workers are part of the community and the infection rate in the communities are high, they can contract the virus from these communities.
The Regional President lamented about the failure of government to incentivize the extra effort health workers are putting in place to save lives.
“As at now, for incentives, I can’t mention any incentive. There is no incentive because the tax that we have been given for free has been taken off, the frontline allowance, I don’t know when next it’s coming”.
Jones Afriyie Anto
He further mentioned that the promise of an insurance package to even the nurses who will succumb to the pandemic has not been fulfilled by government.
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