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 Dr Fiifi Sam (middle), the Vice-President, of the association speaking at the press conference
Dr Fiifi Sam (middle), the Vice-President, of the association speaking at the press conference

Involve private sector in COVID-19 fight - Private health practitioners

The Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners has called on the government to actively involve the private health sector as frontline workers to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

They contended that since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, the government had fully engaged the public sector while the private health sector had been ignored.

At a press briefing in Accra, the Vice­-President of the Association, Dr Fiifi Sam, indicated that the private sector was indispensable when it came to healthcare delivery in the country, as majority of Ghanaians preferred private healthcare facilities to the public ones.

He said the executive had already engaged with the Ministry of Health on how the private sector could support the fight against the spread, “but unfortunately, we have not seen any active involvement after the meeting and it looks like the public health facilities are the only ones involved in this fight,” it stressed.

Dr Sam stated that historically, the private health facilities had been the first port of call for the bulk of people who sought health care in the country, and added that “this is the reason why we cannot be marginalised as we play a very essential role during an outbreak such as this.”

“Even with the Ebola outbreak, it was the private healthcare facilities that diagnosed the first cases in the country,” he said.

Private health sector

He, therefore, urged the government to involve the private health sector in the ongoing training activities to build the capacity of health workers in screening, case management and contact tracing.

Dr Sam also called for the private health facilities to be involved at screening points and testing facilities for screening and testing of suspected cases of COVID-19 in the country.

“Government must also prioritise the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and commodities to private health facilities who remain front liners in the provision of health care in Ghana.”

“Without the PPE, the private health facilities will be unable to assist with the battle against the virus as it will put our lives and that of our staff at risk,” he stressed.

Advice

He advised members of the public to conform to the safety precautions as provided by health experts on how to control the spread of the virus.

Particularly with handwashing, Dr Sam said it was one of the easiest and the only surest way to control the spread, saying that “ all persons must practise frequent handwashing with soap under running water for at least 20 seconds each time, before entering and after leaving any public place.”

He also urged the citizenry to avoid close contact with people as well as hand shaking, hugs and frequent touching of the face, mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands.

“All persons must also ensure frequent cleaning of surfaces, spraying of doorknobs and handles, especially in places of frequent human traffic, with appropriate disinfectant or
sanitisers. If these simple rules are followed, it’s not likely we may be having a chunk of the population being infected as other countries are experiencing,” the Vice-President stated.

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