Ebola exposes weakness in West Africa's systems

Dr. Frank Nyonator, Acting Dean, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, has said the outbreak of the Ebola Viral Disease had exposed the “weaknesses and fragility” of health systems in West Africa.

He said the outbreak with high fatality rate meant that the continent was not doing something right; therefore, Ghana must work hard to guarantee trust and integrity in its health system.

Dr. Nyonator was speaking at a workshop on the preparedness of the UHAS to respond to any suspected case.

He said the outbreak was now at two levels, epidemic of death and epidemic of fear, amongst the population and caregivers, which called for concerted efforts to address.

Dr. Nyonator said a serious look ought to be given to how dead people were buried on the continent and how sick people, especially Ebola patients, were taken care of at home.

He said the University would support surveillance teams to intensify their activities from house to house with the screening toolkits developed.

Dr. Nyonator said the University had put measures in place to ensure “Ebola-free” communities on all its campuses.

The measures would also benefit the larger society in view of the fact that, “UHAS has a growing student population and is a university without walls that is very integrated with the communities, he said.

Mr Anthony Asempa, Public Relations Officer of UHAS, told the Ghana News Agency that the University was training two nurses from each hospital in the Volta Region on how to handle Ebola cases.

He said some of the nurses would help in screening students of the University as part of registration for next academic year.

Meanwhile, the University has fixed some hand washing basins at lecture theatre areas, laboratories, and around hostels for students as a preventive measure against Ebola.