University of Ghana Medical Centre designated to treat diplomats with COVID-19

The government has designated the country’s only quaternary healthcare facility, the University of Ghana Medical Centre as a COVID-19 treatment facility for the diplomatic community in Ghana.

This means that ambassadors, high commissioners, honorary consulates, officials of the UN systems and staff of other international bodies with diplomatic status will be treated at the facility when they contract the deadly disease.

Quaternary hospitals provide an advanced form of medical care that goes beyond the treatment offered by tertiary care health facilities like the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

A letter issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (available to theghanareport.com) to all diplomatic missions, international organisations, honorary consulates accredited to Ghana stated that “any suspected case of COVID-19 may be reported directly to the Director of Medical Affairs at the UGMC” with a telephone number provided.

The decision, the ministry said was part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus, which has so far killed 16 people in Ghana while more than 1,500 others are undergoing treatment.188 have also recovered.

Read the full letter below:

Currently, some Ghanaians and foreigners with COVID-19 are being treated at the facility. In fact, the Rector of the Physicians and Surgeons College, Prof Jacob Plange-Rhue, died at the medical centre from coronavirus.

Ministry confirms

When contacted, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Charles Owiredu, confirmed the letter to theghanareport.com.

He, however, said the Ministry of Health was in a better place to explain why the facility was selected to treat members of the diplomatic community who contract COVID-19.

“We are just a channel of communication because we deal with them [diplomatic community],” he said.

UGMC controversy

After an 18-month wait, the UGMC was opened for public service on July 18, 2018. At the time it opened its doors after sustained pressure from the media and the public, only its administration and Outpatient Department (OPD) with about 20 members of staff started working.

Former President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated the centre just before he exited office, but various controversies led to a delay in its operation.

Said to be incomparable in West Africa, the $271-million centre, which is the country’s first quaternary healthcare facility, is a referral institution.

Although the 650-bed facility is owned by the state, it is not under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) nor the University of Ghana.

Rather, at its opening, acting Chief Executive of the centre, Dr Darius Osei, said it would be operated by a company yet to be incorporated at the time.

The facility comprises eight separate buildings and houses,  specialised areas such as Emergency, Imaging, Operating theatres, laboratories and a computer room.

It also has maternity and paediatric clinics, an orthopaedic centre, an in-patient medical training facility, staff accommodation and a maintenance and logistics building.

It was also built to provide specialist care in areas, including urology, ophthalmology, ENT, cardiology, dermatology, neurology and interventional radiology (cancers).

It also has facilities for cancer management, a medical hotel where clients could live and consult specialists, in addition to assisted reproductive technology to provide fertility solutions, as well as a helipad that will allow emergency cases to be airlifted to the centre.

The centre also hosts a national medical training and simulation centre which will be used to train health professionals.

Undertaken by Messrs Engineering and Development Consultants Limited, with medical consultation provided by the Sheba Medical Centre of Israel, it is expected to provide cutting-edge medical training and research for various health professionals.

But this is not the first time the government is dedicating a medical facility to a group of people for the treatment of COVID-19.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, announced the designation of the Bank Hospital for the treatment of very important persons (VIPS) who contract the virus.

Bank of Ghana hospital to be used for treatment of ‘coronavirus VIPs’

 

The announcement was met with public anger as a section of Ghanaians lambasted the government for being discriminatory at a time the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic knows no societal class or status.

Less than 24 four hours later, the Bank of Ghana, owners of the medical facility, reacted, indicating that it gave out a hospital for the treatment of the general public.

Coronavirus: Bank of Ghana says its hospital is opened to the general public not only VIPs