Import and export decontamination crucial for Ghana – Dr Nsiah Asare

The Ghana Health Service has reiterated the importance of the upcoming decontamination of all imports coming into the country and exports leaving the country.

According the service, the exercise is aimed at ensuring absolute safety and security of imports and exports which will culminate in the attraction of confidence in Ghana’s international business arena.

The Ghana Health Service which in response to the quest by the World Health Organisation for member countries to enforce the International Health Regulations is leading the charge to enforce this provision as captured in the International Health Regulations which Ghana signed up to in 2007.

The International Health Regulations were incorporated into Ghana’s laws in 2012 through the public health Act (Act 851).

The Ghana Health Service believes the decontamination exercise is the country’s panacea to the issues of safety and security in terms of the prevention of hazardous and infectious diseases.

Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare told the M&T Digest that the main objective and principle behind the decontamination exercise is to allow for early detection, investigation, response and recovery in case of any emerging emergency or epidemic before it escalates into a pandemic.

Global Action

"Luckily, the whole world is now serious about the International Health Regulations and the World Health Organisation Director General recently said about epidemics, he said epidemics don’t take visas, they don’t know boundaries, they move to anywhere that they will move to, because now the world is one global village and so it has become imperative for World Health Organisation member countries to take every step necessary to ensure the enforcement and implementation of the International Health Regulations" Dr. Nsiah Asare explained to the M&T Digest.

He explained further that the quest to ensure the prevention of hazardous and infectious diseases has led to global determination to ensure the enforcement and implementation of the International Health Regulations.

"Ebola in West Africa also opened the eyes of the whole world. It showed that we can have ebola in a small village in Liberia and we can have ebola also in Texas because somebody who has gone to Liberia can take it to Texas or to any part of the world for that matter. So in Ghana we are doing everything possible, the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health, to ensure that we are also well prepared and follow the International Health Regulations and that is exactly what we are doing" he opined.

LCB World Wide Ghana

Dr. Nsiah Asare added that "We are very happy that LCB World Wide Ghana have indicated their willingness and readiness to take up this challenge and will be instituting bio security measures at various parts of the country, particularly at the ports.

"We have gone through all the formalities including the public procurement Act and we have signed a service contract with them on behalf of government. The Ghana Health will be supervising LCB World Wide operations so that they go according to the International Health Regulations. This is a company that has expertise in this area and is renowned and known the world over for this".

The Ghana Health Service Director General intimated that Ghana’s determination to implement the International Health Regulations will offer it the opportunity to have early detection of pest and disease and that any item that is coming into the country or going out will be thoroughly checked to avoid any dangers in terms of bio hazards and risks, adding that the plan also aims at completing exposure pathways and the integration of threat responses.

Construction of Tunnels

Meanwhile M&T Digest can report authoritatively that the construction of some eight decontamination tunnels is currently ongoing at the port of Tema and are expected to be completed by the middle of February. This will pave way for the commencement of the decontamination exercise by the first week March.