Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Aboagye Dacosta has disclosed that over 10 million Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have been produced and distributed well in advance of schools reopening.
According to him, these PPEs were distributed to the various regional health and educational offices on Friday, 15th of January, 2020 for their onward distribution to the district offices, hence schools.
Dr. Dacosta reacting to calls being made to government to once again close down schools because they (government) were not well prepared to reopen them noted, “We were adequately prepared for the reopening of schools. The government has already produced over 10million PPEs for all schools in the country and distributed them to the various regional health and educational facilities”.
“All the regional health and educational offices received the PPEs and other materials as at Friday, 15th January, 2020. My understanding is that the district offices must pick up the items and distribute them to the schools. Some schools have received their items but not all”, he admitted.
Dr. Dacosta motioned that it was no fault of government if some schools had not received their PPEs, but the District Offices of health and education.
Speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9FM, he said;
“This is a nationwide exercise and we know things happen in such an exercise. You must know that if we have distributed the PPEs to the regional offices, it is up to the people we engaged to also do their work. If a there is a minor setback, we should not assume it is a nationwide thing”, he indicated.
He however assured the few educational institutions yet to receive their PPEs that they will get them in the next few days.
Dr. Dacosta went on to advise parents to also provide their kids with PPEs to compliment what they will get from government.
The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have both called on governemt for the re-closure of basic schools.
According to these bodies, until the government makes available Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the various schools as promised on time, then, schools should be closed again.
President Akufo-Addo in his 21st address to the nation on measures taken against COVID-19 announced that children in kindergarten, primary and Junior High, in both private and public schools, will be back in school from 15th January, 2021.
He also pledged government’s support to the schools to ensure the safety of students with the resumption of school.
Including the fumigation and disinfecting of schools and other institutions across the country, he promised to equip all schools and students with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and isolation centers to deal with any cases of COVID-19 positives.
By: Joel Sanco
