Part 2: Ghana’s challenges and coronavirus

The arrival of COVID-19 in Ghana exposed challenges, which are multifaceted as the whole country experienced the shocks of the pandemic waves especially when the government pronounced lockdown in the Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa, environ in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. These challenges as discussed in the part one identified such challenges to include abject poverty, housing deficit and lawlessness of the citizens.

The very Ghanaians the law of restriction sought to protect from contracting the deadly virus facilitated these unauthorized movements. Because of five and ten Ghana cedi, motor rider smuggled people into the country. This unacceptable lawlessness probably led to some regions like Volta, Bono and Western regions to record positive cases. Again, there came a called on the Ghanaians to put on facemasks but as usual of lawlessness, the military have to be deployed to various market places to ensure compliance. Until now, corporate bodies have to also issued directives to their customers on wearing of the mask before accessing services in that regards.

The human resource of every country is considered as the most valuable asset with the ability to transform both the natural and capital resources into finish goods and services for human utilization. By this, how healthy the human resource has a significant correlation to how they can contribute towards the realization of the country goals. Health is this regard is paramount. Health care, delivery, facilities and systems in Ghana were highly put to test by the coronavirus.

The country belongs to Ghanaians and not to a particular political party. For that matter, any developmental projects initiated and successfully implemented to its conclusion is to be benefitted by Ghanaians regardless of party colours.

But, abandoning of projected started by one political administration by other party has more or less seem to be gaining grounds at the detriment of larger Ghanaians societies. The pandemic requires health facilities to be used to attend to those who have tested positive so they could receive health care but Ghana’s partisan perspective of blatant refusal to acknowledge contributions of another government was usually present.

The unattended facilities like the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Bank of Ghana and among other facilities became the last resort available to Ghanaians to receive health care. It is not strange to hear some government official believed to have tested positive to the coronavirus hospitalized at the UGMC claiming to be resting there as if the facility is a five-star hotel for the season. For those sincere and honest government officials who through the line of their duties to mother Ghana contracted the virus and are receiving treatment from the facilities, may the good Lord continue to provide them with the best health.

The pandemic has also exposed how Ghanaians pay lips service to domestic business growth. Ghanaian business ownership were already on the ground, particularly in the banking and financing sector. The entrepreneurial skills were also challenged but the results were not different from the usual stories with excuses of failure. It took China to fly test kits before we were able to undertake several test activities. At a point in time, hand sanitisers became the most expensive commodity for the ordinary Ghanaians to get let alone purchase. They were short in supply.

When the campaign against the spread of the COVID-19 turns to the use of facemask, there we were as usual wondering what to do. The supply of the Personal Protective Equipment were short in suppliers to health care centres and alike. No wonder some Medical Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers and other frontline workers have contracted the virus. What would have happened if the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Bank of Ghana Hospital, University of Health and Allied Sciences and other facilities were not built? The coronavirus has indeed exposed the challenges in the health sector encompassing the physical facilities to logistics.