Health staffs need more protection - Medical Officer

Kumasi, Feb 15, GNA - The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) have been urged to evolve more appropriate measures to protect health staff against infections in the course of their duties.

Dr Thomas Agyarko-Poku, Senior Medical Officer in-charge of the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Clinic of the Suntreso Government Hospital, Kumasi, suggested that the GHS and the MOH should provide "Post Exposure Treatment Kits" to health staff as part of the measures. Dr Agyarko-Poku was briefing the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Saturday, about the sacrifices and risk facing health staff as part of the first anniversary of the GHS.

He said the Kits were crucial in safeguarding health personnel against infections for prompt treatment in case of accidental injuries like needle pricks and blood spills during surgical operations. Dr Agyarko-Poku said although such kits were vital for the protection of health staff, "such kits only exist in isolation and about 90 percent of health staff in the country's hospitals may not have them".

"There is a looming danger about loosing the few experienced and dedicated health staff, Doctors as well as Nurses through infections as a result of lack of 'Post Exposure Treatment Kit' to provide swift treatment to health staff in respect of accidental injuries," he stated. Dr Agyarko-Poku noted that HIV/AIDS cases in the region would rise in the coming years, saying, "Recorded cases of HIV is bound to rise in the next few years because of the fact that many more people are now willing to come forward and opt for voluntary testing to ascertain their HIV status".