Akwatia (E/R), – The Christian Health Association of Ghana on Wednesday commissioned a High Dependency Unit (HDU) at the St Dominic Hospital at Akwatia to aid the management of severe COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Region.
The Unit, provided under the Association’s COVID-19 Response and Institutional Capacity Building (CRIB) project, with funding from the UK, would also serve as a centre for the management of post COVID-19 complications.
It is expected to help limit the referral of advanced cases to regional and national health facilities.
The CRIB Project was developed to enable the Association partner the Ministry of Health in the effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Peter Yeboah, the Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), speaking at the commissioning of the High Dependency Unit, said Akwatia’s Unit was one of three established in the country, with the other two at Bawku in the Upper East Region, and Berekum in the Bono Region, at a cost of GHS800,000.
The four-bed capacity HDU has been refurbished with a ventilator, monitors that allows health personnel to check and monitor patients’ vitals, and infusion pumps for the administration of accurate doses of medication to persons with comorbidities.
Dr Yeboah said adequate health personnel had been trained to man the Unit, intended to serve and provide buffer for case management in the northern and middle belts of the country.
He said Ghana needed to have a system that enhanced early case detection, identification, and better management of patients who could quickly deteriorate, particularly those with multiple comorbidities and complications related to off-label treatments.
Madam Harriet Thompson, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, said there had been far too many COVID-19 related deaths, with 1,182 recorded in Ghana and over five million deaths globally.
She emphasised that the High Dependency Unit was a great initiative to improve the management of the disease in rural areas, address gaps in case management at the district level and reduce pressure on facilities at the regional level.
Madam Thompson congratulated the Government, community and religious leaders and all stakeholders for their contribution to Ghana’s successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She urged the public to get vaccinated and adhere to the safety protocols as Christmas approached to avoid a surge in cases.
That would also help protect health services, families and put the economy back on track, she said.
Madam Thompson urged the staff of the St Dominic Hospital to be diligent in maintaining the equipment and provide excellent services to clients.
She said the equipment provided were not only for the treatment of COVID-19 but also for other health conditions and diseases.
The Reverend Father Abban, Administrator, St Dominic Hospital, said the Hospital had managed about 350 positive cases since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said it had provided training for staff, engaged the community and enforced strict adherence to the COIVD-19 safety protocols.
Source: Ghana News Agency