The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it has activated its Ebola preparedness arrangements and conducted simulation exercises to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to a possible outbreak.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the Service was closely monitoring developments in affected countries and coordinating with relevant institutions to assess potential risks to Ghana.
He said surveillance and emergency planning had been intensified following reports of Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, alongside concerns about possible cross-border transmission.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, October 26, Dr Kaba Akoriyea said Ghana remained in the preparedness phase and had begun testing its response systems through simulation exercises.
“So here you are, you have an outbreak in Congo, Uganda, and then you see it coming to Kenya, and we have airlines that come indirectly, day in, day out. Then from there, you see it get to Nigeria. And as I talk to you, I’m always in touch with my colleagues in those countries to know exactly what is happening,” he said.
Emergency operations centre on alert
Dr Kaba Akoriyea said the GHS was relying on its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at Pantang to monitor international health developments and coordinate preparedness activities.
He said the centre operated around the clock, enabling health officials to track emerging threats and assess developments that could have implications for Ghana.
“We’ve put it out there all the time. Every second, microsecond of the day, we scan, and we know exactly what is happening in any part of the world. It’s there,” he stated.
“You can go and see. We don’t sleep, work 24 hours, and we see whatever is happening,” he added.
The Director-General disclosed that the Service had conducted about three simulation exercises since concerns about the disease emerged in the region. He said preparedness activities had begun earlier following reports of an outbreak in the DRC.
“Yesterday, I’ll tell you, we’ve already done about three simulation exercises since we heard of the issue in Kenya.
“When it started in DRC, we activated our system. In Congo, in Kenya, we started with simulation exercise,” he said.
Simulation exercises help authorities assess how effectively institutions can coordinate during a public health emergency, including the identification and management of suspected cases, communication between agencies and the mobilisation of resources.
33 agencies involved in preparedness
Dr Kaba Akoriyea said Ghana’s preparedness efforts involved approximately 33 institutions from different sectors, reflecting the need for a coordinated, multi-agency response in the event of an outbreak.
He said he had participated in meetings involving institutions responsible for education, security, social welfare, local government and emergency management.
“And today, alone, I have gone to meetings where we have cross-border issues.
“And I can provide you with the list, and you can cross-check. You have education, you have military, you have police, you have welfare, you have local government, you have all the necessary agencies, present including NADMO, you have them all, about 33 agencies,” he said.
Among the institutions he identified were the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Veterinary Services Department, the National Peace Council and the Ghana Armed Forces.
The involvement of these institutions is intended to strengthen coordination in emergency response, public communication, security, logistics and the management of people who may be affected by a public health emergency.
GHS strengthens cross-border cooperation
The GHS Director-General also disclosed that Ghana was working with neighbouring countries to improve cooperation on infectious diseases and other health threats that could spread across national borders.
He cited engagements with counterparts in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as a tripartite meeting aimed at comparing developments and discussing possible responses.
According to him, such engagements were essential because of cross-border movement and the need for countries to share timely information to identify and manage potential threats.
“So we’ve held a cross-border meeting with our counterparts in Burkina, we’ve had one with our counterparts in Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, and we’ve had a tripartite meeting to know what is happening there and what is happening here. How do we compare those and solve these issues?” he said.
The GHS says its surveillance, simulation exercises, inter-agency coordination and cross-border engagements form part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Ghana’s readiness to respond to a possible Ebola outbreak.
