Coronavirus: Bank of Ghana says its hospital is opened to the general public not only VIPs
Contrary to the position of the Ministry of Health that the Bank of Ghana’s hospital will be used to treat only staff of the bank and VIPs infected with coronavirus, the facility will be opened to members of the public infected with the virus.
“The Bank confirms that it has been in discussion with the Ministry of Health to agree on an arrangement to avail parts of the facility, to assist in the treatment of severe and critical cases of COVID-19.
“This arrangement will be for the benefit of the general public,” a terse statement signed and issued by the Secretary of the bank, Sandra Thompson said.
The bank’s clarification followed comments made by the Minister of Health, Kweku Agyemag Manu, that the Bank of Ghana hospital would only serve Very Important Personalities (VIPs) and staff of the bank infected with the virus.
According to the minister, who spoke at a news conference Wednesday in Accra, management of the Bank of Ghana had agreed to release two floors of the yet to be operationalised facility to treat VIPs and staff of the bank who contract the virus.
“We have had engagements with the Bank of Ghana and they’ve released two floors that will take care of 20 beds for our use.
“Because the facility doesn’t belong to the Ministry of Health, Bank of Ghana has agreed that their own people and some VIPs will be allowed there,” the minister said.
These comments sparked widespread criticism with a section of the public questioning the rationale behind preferential coronavirus treatment.
But barely 24 hours after the Minister of Health made the comments, the Bank of Ghana has sought to provide some clarity over the matter.
Ghana has recorded 195 coronavirus infections with 5 deaths.
We are in very interesting times in Ghana. The so-called VIPs, who went to Norway, against the prescriptions of conventional wisdom, and brought the coronavirus to Ghana, are demanding that they should be treated as VIPs at the expense of the victims of the disease they imported into Ghana. God have mercy on us.