COVID-19 test is now free – Ministry of Health
Government has made COVID-19 tests free at all public health testing laboratories following the meteoritic rise in cases in the last three days.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced on Wednesday, January 27, that public centres “providing walk-in services can charge only travellers for testing”.
A release which was signed by the Acting Chief Director of the MoH, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari stressed all other all walk-in “requests such as ill-health, contact tracing and exposure must be done free-of-charge using public health resources.
The high cost of the COVID-19 test has necessitated the intervention by the government.
The MoH has provided a list of about 15 accredited laboratories but it costs between GHC300 to GHC 700 to get tested.
The huge cost has been a disincentive and the Ghana Medical Association called for the tests to be made free or relatively cheaper in a release on January 14.
In the last four days, Ghana has recorded average daily cases of 650.
As of Thursday, January 28, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had pegged active cases at 3,813 with 377 deaths.
A significant number of patients are being treated from home as the MoH raises concerns about few vacant beds in hospitals designated as COVID-19 treatment centres.
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kumah Aboagye, admitted a surge in the daily admission for COVID-19 patients in the country in his media briefings early this week.
“Our data indicate that the total daily admissions since January 4, 2021, has gone up and of that, we have severe cases which are also going up and critical cases also doing same.
“So that is the trend we are having now and these are mainly in the Greater Accra Region. So far we have about 50 or so cases on admission outside Accra but a significant number of cases are here in Accra,” he said in the COVID-19 press briefing.
Hospitals getting full
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) General Secretary, Dr Titus Beyou, has raised concerns over the new trend.
He described the situation as overwhelming, even for most hospitals in the country.
“We have a very fragile health system and they are collapsing because of COVID-19. As it stands now, people are struggling to get health spaces, people who are supposed to be managed at the hospital are being managed at home.
“Also, we are starting from a health system that is robust. Our COVID centres are over-stretched and our regulars hospitals are being forced to make room for the COVID-19 patients,” he said in an interview with Joy News monitored by theghanareport.com.
Possible lockdown again
In the wake of the rising cases Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has warned that there was a considerable possibility for the reintroduction of tougher restrictions, including imposing another lockdown.
“There is a possibility of a lockdown and other restrictions. If this trend continues, then yes that is where we are heading. I have to be very clear on that one that more restrictions could be introduced if this trend continues.
“We are being reminded that we all need to be doing the things we were doing, in the beginning, to ensure that this third rise is quickly dealt with because the dynamics of this third rise appear to be different from the first one.
“So, if these numbers go up, this way, then just like the President himself articulated, then we are heading for more restrictions even if it means reviewing some Legal Instruments, yes that is where we will be heading,” he said in a press briefing on Monday.