As a second wave of COVID-19 threatens the world, MODEC Ghana and partners have offered to enhance the caoacity of four National COVID-19 Testing Centres across the country. The company made a donation of bio-medical equipment to these facilites yesterday, 29 October, 2020.
The donation worth USD600,000 [an equivalent of GHC3.5 million], comprised of testing kits, reagents, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), among others. These items are to be distributed to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Takoradi Veterinary Laboratory, and National Public Health Reference Laboratory in Sekondi to augment their of testing and routine surveillance of the novel coronavirus.
The Managing Director of MODEC, Theo Ahwireng at a handing over ceremony stated that the gains made by Ghana in the fight agaisnt the pandemic has been excellent.
”Ghana’s management towards the COVID 19 is classified as one of the best in Africa and all because of the government and the ministry of health and recommended them for the performance.”
He indicated that the company in collaraboration with the Ministry of Health, is exploring other innovative ways to reinforce controls that will prevent future spread of the virus.
“These institutions have been at the forefront of this virus and thus the need for them to have some of the ultra modern equipment to test over 10,000 samples. We are working with them closely to identify other specific requirements that will help in tackling the spread of the virus. We have already donated some of the items through the petroleum upstream chamber to three hospitals earlier this year.”
He however noted that the country could suffer a relapse if it gets complacent with the gains.
Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye who received the donation on behalf of the testing facilites commended MODEC and its partners for being responsive to the call by the President on private sector to mobilise resources in fighting the pandmeci.
“As the government fights to ensure that Ghana gets to zero cases on a daily basis, partnership like what MODEC has done is what is needed to achieve such a feat.”
He took the opportunity to commend management of the various testing centers forworking tirelessly in managing an efficient testing system for the country.
He stated that; ”the testing of the virus has not been easy. As government and ministry we are committed to the five items on handling the virus. I thank the health workers for the commitment in this unusual time. There was a lot of speculation in parliament about our health workers and I’m happy they are really helping us.”
Mr.Okoe Boye therefore urged the public to stick to the preventive ettiquetes as directed by government, stressing that “the virus is not yet gone.”