Coronavirus Response: Government of Korea donates medical supplies to Ghana

The United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS) has delivered 27,000 units of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and eight units of COVID-19 testing lab equipment to the Ghana Health Service to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The Items, donated by the Government of the Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), worth 200,000 Dollars, included 5,000 Face Shields, 5,000 Goggles, 8,500 N95 Masks, 8,500 Surgical Isolation Gowns, four PCR machines, and four Automated RNA Extractors.

These PPE and lab equipment are expected to strengthen the healthcare sector’s capacity in the fight against COVID-19 and further support frontline healthcare workers to decrease the risk of infection with the upsurge of the number of cases in the last weeks.

The ceremony was attended by Mr Mooheon Kong, the Country Director of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ghana Office, Dr Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari, Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Mr Taesoo Kim, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ghana, and Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, Director and Representative of UNOPS.

Mr. Mooheon Kong, Director, KOICA Ghana, speaking at the handing-over ceremony, said the fight against Covid-19 pandemic was a shared responsibility and the Government of the Republic of Korea would continuously renew its long-standing partnership with the Government of Ghana especially during this pandemic.

The current COVID-19 situation, he said, consequently puts more pressure on health facilities and health workers, and there was an urgent need to support these facilities and personnel in the delivery of health care across the country.

“All of the equipment shall be distributed to the four Public Health Reference Laboratory in Ghana and the PPEs are expected to be distributed to health workers in various health facilities across Ghana,” he said

According to the Director, the funds for the donation were reprogrammed from the Corporation's recently concluded flagship health sector “CHPS Project” which was implemented in all districts in the Upper East Region from 2016 to 2020 and further reallocated to support Ghana’s COVID-19 response.

He expressed optimism that the PCR machines and the automated RNA extractors would further strengthen the nation’s capacity for COVID-19 testing and reduce the backlog of sample testing in the country.

Mrs Ifeoma Esther Charles-Monwuba, Director and Representative of the UNOPS, said, “UNOPS Ghana was committed to continuing the Strategic partnership with the Government of Ghana, The Republic of Korea through KOICA and will make available its vast procurement capabilities including emergency procurement procedures to all its partners in the COVID-19 response and management of other health challenges.”

She said, since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana, the UNOPS with funding from development partners like KOICA and private sector had deployed its emergency procurement capacity to swiftly procure the needed PPE, test kits, PCR machines and other equipment to support the government’s response.

Dr Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari, Chief Director, Ministry of Health, who received the items, expressed appreciation to the KOICA for the support and strengthened collaboration over the years, adding that the donations would go a long way to help in curbing the pandemic.