The President of the Ghana Association of Doctors in Residency, Dr. Bernard Hammond,has said that the Association is in full support of the Ghana Medical Association’s call for a nationwide lockdown amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Ghana Medical Association in a press statement called on President Akufo-Addo to declare a nationwide lockdown with the exception of essential services with immediate effect.
President of the Association of Doctors in Residency in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show expressed support for the call when he said: “We accept a lockdown. When it began, we were only reporting imported cases but now we have recognized that there is community spread. It means that, there is now transfer in our communities. Now we are looking at the cases just rising exponentially. So the lock down we are imposing has to restrict movement and contact between people in this nation”.
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He added that the health facilities could not accomodate a large number of people with COVID-19 and as such Government must put in stringent measures such as a lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease.
“This is because our health system cannot support an overwhelming outbreak. Across the country, ventilators to support critical conditions are not even up to 100.
Imagine the numbers increase,then we will not be able to look after them.Apart from COVID-19 patients, there may be other patients who may come in with other illness that also need this service”.
The Government of Ghana in its efforts to fight the COVID-19 disease has put in place measures such as the compulsory quarantine of returnees, closure of schools, social distancing directive and a National Day of Fasting and Prayers against the Coronavirus disease.
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However, there have been calls by organizations and individuals to put in a more strict measure such as a lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
