How accessible are Ghana’s Coronavirus helplines?

In the wake of the deadly Coronavirus, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), released a statement to the press on February 28, 2020 which indicated emergency numbers that has been provided for people who are experiencing symptoms of the virus to call for urgent direction and care.

The teams which are assigned to handle the helplines are in charge of case management, surveillance, evacuation, and risk communication.

“… We wish to take the opportunity to reassure Ghanaians that we will continue to intensify our preparedness activities and heighten surveillance at all points of entry to ensure that all citizens are safe and secured…. In cases of persistent cough or fever, contact the call center for assistance on these lines; 055 2222 004/ 055 2222 005/ 050 9497700/ 055 8439 868…” parts of the statement read.

With a history of helplines not functioning properly in the country, GhanaWeb placed a call to all numbers on March 20, 2020 but they were busy. This leads to the question of the lines’ accessibility. Perhaps a lot of concerned Ghanaians are on the line, which is the purpose they are supposed to serve anyway.

But we could also look at the issue of prank-calls which has been a challenge to all major public helplines globally, but in dire times as the Coronavirus, it is essential for people who do not have any symptoms of the virus to stay off the lines, so it can be reachable to those who do.

Dr. Aboagye DaCosta, the Director In-charge of Education and Risk Management at GHS has cautioned people who have been abusing the emergency call numbers ever since they announced the rise in the number of cases within the country.

Nonetheless, the question still remains; how accessible is the Coronavirus helplines in Ghana?