26 staff of KATH infected with Coronavirus – CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso has confirmed to Citi News that 26 staff of the facility have contracted COVID-19.

During the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate’s last update on COVID-19 cases in the region, the Regional Health Director, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, said that 30 health workers in the region have contracted COVID-19.

It is, however, not clear if the total number of health workers in the region infected with the virus still stands at 30 out of which the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital alone has 26 of its staff being infected.

Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso, however, says their evaluation has shown that not all the staff may have picked the virus from the facility.

“I think with the last count, about 26 of our staff from various areas had contracted the virus. Even for those ones that have come out to be positive, the evaluation that has been done is also showing clearly that not all of them may have picked the infection from here. Because at the operational area where they are working, we have not had any positive or suspected case there, but they themselves have tested positive.”

He, however, says efforts are being made to curtail the spread and keep other staff safe.

“Indeed, that is why we have continuously engaged. In fact, every week we have a strong management team led by myself that meets to evaluate our operations and some of the nemesis for instance just so that we can continuously let our people have the relevant knowledge, be empowered and also to protect themselves more and more. Because if they protect themselves very well here, they will be doing so for the communities and the homes that they live in,” he said.

Some health workers at the facility are however protesting against the decision of management to provide them with cloth nose masks instead of surgical ones which they claim offer better protection in the hospital environment.

But the Chief Executive Officer insists the cloth nose masks supplied to them are of high quality.

He wants the Food and Drugs Authority to come clean on the quality of cloth nose masks as against surgical nose masks.

“In fact, those issues have come before us and are even in various write-ups. In fact, as leaders, we are surprised about those claims because there is no scientific proof about the locally produced masks being inferior. As a matter of fact, as leadership, we have engaged the FDA on these things. In fact, two weeks ago, the regional manager from Ashanti Region actually came to engage the leadership here because we have weekly meetings and he actually took us through all the processes that they go through in validating the credibility of these products.”

He continued, “It’s been shown clearly that the locally produced masks in a lot of instances are superior to the imported ones. Therefore, we have actually encouraged the FDA to come out very clear about their processes and to also to give clear details about the authenticity and the effectiveness of the locally produced masks because that is our own and I think we should be able to know that we have confidence in our own.”