South Korea supports national COVID-19 fight with face shields
The Republic of South Korea has supported the national COVID-19 response efforts with medical face shields worth US$50,000.
Since the onset of the global pandemic, South Korea has been assisting the country both in cash and in kind to prevent the spread of the virus.
Advertisement
About 100,000 of the face shields are to be distributed to critical care health workers in various health facilities in the country to boost case management.
The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who received the items in Accra last Friday, expressed gratitude to the government and the people of South Korea for their continuous support to the country, particularly the health sector.
He described the Korea Foundation for International Health (KOFIH) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) as “dependable partners in the sector”.
“I believe it is the mutual cooperation between Ghana and Korea that ensured our successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic; internationally, Ghana and Korea are recognised for our COVID-19 response interventions,” the minister added.
Collaboration
The Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Mr Ham Sang-wook, who made the presentation, said the gesture was in response to global calls for oneness in the fight against the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has overwhelmed most economies and the international community must be united in combating it,” he added.
Mr Sang-wook said the Korean government had so far assisted Africa to the tune of about US$ 200,000 in COVID-19 response since last year.
In Ghana, he said, his government had committed over US$3.5million in the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“This also reinforces the long-standing friendship between Korea and Ghana and we are committed to this relationship; together, we will overcome this pandemic,” Mr Sang-wook added.
Advice
Mr Agyeman-Manu advised the public to abide strictly by the COVID-19 safety protocols.
He said adhering to the protocols was very critical and the most efficient way of limiting the spread of the virus.
“Vaccines are additional protective measures, but as we have been made to understand, that alone will not prevent you from being infected although nothing will happen to you if you get infected. All the interventions are effective when used together.
“I beg of you to continue to wash your hands, wear your face mask and keep the social distancing rule so that we all can be safe. That is the only way we can beat the virus as a country. Let us err on the side of caution because the figures are skyrocketing again,” the minister further entreated the public.
Writer’s email: [email protected]