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COVID-19: No bed shortage in Ghana -GHS refutes claim
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has stated that the country was yet to exceed its bed capacity for treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients contrary to emerging reports of bed shortages at the centres.
“In terms of attainment of full bed capacity as a country, we can state that we have never exceeded our bed capacity as a country.
We started this process with a 450-bed capacity which has increased to 700 and at the moment, we have 71 treatment centres across the country with 21 of them, idle,” Director General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said in a statement on Wednesday.
The release which sought to clarify recent allegations that the Service was under-reporting and manipulating national data on the disease brought to light that the GHS was expanding the number of beds in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region specifically, to take care of mild to moderate cases and positive cases with co-morbidities.
“We are still not resting on our oars, we will continue to expand. We are working with the regions to increase the bed capacity for moderate to severe and critical cases. For instance, a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit wing is coming up at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
The largest isolation centre for those who are largely asymptomatic is the Pentecost Convention Centre located in Gomoa Fetteh with a bed capacity of 600 but as at June 16, 2020, we had 356 in-patients and the centre has never operated at maximum capacity,” the statement said.
As regards personal, protective equipment (PPE), Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the GHS had adopted systems including the “Logistic Information Management System” to monitor remotely, the availability of PPE at the district levels.
“Our concern however has been the more appropriate use of the PPE by health workers according to the level of risk they are exposed to and we are currently re-training health providers on infection prevention and control and most importantly, adherence to appropriate and consistent use of the PPE,” he noted.
The GHS in the statement explained that the recent spike in number of positive COVID-19 cases represented more of isolated reports in institutions and some localities rather than a general community spread.
While expressing concern over the trend, the release clarified that “the current number represents more of isolated spikes in localised institutions and localities and not a generalised diffused community spread.”
“It is worth noting three regions and 176 districts have not reported any new COVID-19 case in the last one week.”
Among other issues bordering on timely laboratory test results, means of discharge of recovered patients, contact tracers, safe re-opening of schools and increase in critical care staff, the GHS signalled its resolve to ensure the efficient use of resources for the overall wellbeing of Ghanaians amidst the pandemic.
“We wish to state categorically that the GHS does not manipulate the data collated from the regions. The reporting on data including deaths and recoveries at the national level goes beyond just numbers to include epidemiological and clinical states of cases and that requires a bit of more time to verify and validate.
In that context, the regional level data will normally be higher than the national data at any given time,” the Service cleared.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, had earlier this week raised concerns over the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the country, alleging that the government was under-reporting the death toll.
According to the group, the death toll from some regions does not correspond to the total number of deaths in the country accusing the GHS of “massaging” of numbers which could lead to mistrust among the public.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
