Flagbearer of the leading opposition party, John Dramani Mahama has said he will establish another medical research centre with capacity like the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, as well as double the bed capacity of 37military hospital when voted as president in the 2020 elections.
The former president said the development will be part of a national infectious disease response plan under his watch.
The plan, according to him, will clearly set out the specific steps to be taken to prevent the entry of such diseases, quickly arrest them at a very early stage even if they do enter our shores and reduce their impact to the barest minimum.
Mr. Mahama averred that under the plan, he, as president will work to double the capacity of the 37 military hospital, build an infectious diseases centre at the facility to cater for the Southern sector to manage infections like Ebola and COVID-19.
â€I have previously stated that given the opportunity, I will ensure that we establish another medical research centre with capacity like the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) in the Northern part of Ghana as part of the Response Plan,â€
â€Under the plan, we will double the bed capacity of the 37 military hospital and build an Infectious Diseases Centre there to cater for the Southern sector in order to help manage infections like Ebola and COVID-19,†the former president said.
In an Easter message sighted by ABC News, Mr. Mahama said Ghana has reached a difficult spot in the fight against COVID-19 hence the need for the future plan but added that the country will pull through the difficulties.
â€From the latest statistics and escalation in numbers, it is clear we are in a difficult spot in the battle to contain COVID-19. But together we can overcome the uncertainties of the moment. The latest revelation that 57.1% of infected persons have no history of foreign travel is particularly worrisome. It implies that we may have begun to experience community transmission of the virus,†he said.