Coronavirus has shown that 'we can work together and support ourselves' – Kwabena Agyepong

The Executive Director of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE), Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, has said the construction of the first-ever infectious disease treatment facility in Ghana in response to the coronavirus pandemic is ample evidence of Ghanaian ingenuity and patriotism.

Mr. Agyepong was speaking after leading a delegation from the GhIE to inspect the progress of work on the facility located at the Ga East Hospital in Accra.

The GhIE is one of the key institutions partnering with the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund to bring the project to fruition. It has been collaborating with other built environment professionals from conceptualisation to the execution of the project.

Mr. Agyepong says such collaboration is all in support of government’s efforts to bring the Covid-19 epidemic under control and it’s a good testimony of what Ghanaians can achieve together.

“This pandemic has brought the best out of Ghanaians,” he says.

“The fact that the private sector can put together funding for the public good and as built environment professionals we are also chipping in. We presented a document to the Ghana Health Service and one of recommendations was that we should have a facility such as this one and that’s why we are contributing to it. It shows the Ghanaian that in times of need we can rally together and put the nation first. In this struggle against this very deadly pandemic that we cannot see, the Ghanaian has shown that we can work together, rally around and support ourselves.”

Mr. Agyepong was impressed by the progress of work on the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

He noted: “This facility has to be up very quickly and so we are using new methods to do that and we are satisfied with the work that we have seen so far and we hope that we would be able to achieve that in good time.”

The GhIE delegation which visited the project site included Ing. Joseph Oddei, Chairman of the Civil Division (GhIE), Ing. William Viala, President of Ghana Consulting Engineers, and Ing. Clement Amole, Structural Engineer.

When completed the infectious disease treatment facility will be used to isolate and treat critically ill Covid-19 patients. After the pandemic is declared officially over, it will be used to provide treatment and care for other infectious disease patients. The Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund (GCPS-Fund), which is spearheading the project, is raising funds to build three more of such facilities in Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi.

The GCPS-Fund is an initiative by private business executives who set it up with a seed fund of One Million Ghana Cedis. They are also campaigning to raise at least One Hundred Million Ghana Cedis from local and international sources to aid the Government of Ghana’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.