Virtue Foundation Ghana, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) has donated health equipment to the Sissala East Municipal Health Directorate to support in fighting the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The equipment included; 30 oxygen cylinders and two oxygen concentrators with 34 ancillary parts.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tumu, Mr Issah Mohammed Bataglia the Country Director for the NGO, said the foundation thought it wise to purchase the medical essential equipment for the health facilities in the municipality to help fight the COVID-19.
“We had wanted to buy veronica buckets for every household, but taken into consideration how the virus is getting, we thought it wise that buying only the veronica buckets wouldn’t solve the problem. The deadly part of the virus when one has it, is the respiratory distress which can cause one’s death”, he explained.
That, Mr Batagli said, informed their decision to procure the oxygen equipment for the health facilities so that they could deal with the possible outbreak of COVID-19 positive cases.
He entreated the health personnel to put the equipment into proper use to bring efficiency to their work and to achieve their intended purpose.
He reminded the people that the ultimate aim of the Foundation was to see the donation helping the poor and vulnerable.
Some health personnel from the Tumu Municipal Hospital were trained on the use of the equipment.
Mr Karaye Issah Dramani, a participant assured the donor that they would put the equipment into good use to achieve the intended purpose.
He said the Municipal Hospital lacked emergency intensive care oxygen and ventilators that supported patients who could not breathe at all, but added that those equipment would also meet that need.
Mr Dramani appealed to other philanthropists to support the hospital to provide quality health care delivery.
He recounted that the foundation in 2012 donated similar oxygen ventilators to the hospital, but one got spoilt.
Dr. Zakari Bukari, the medical superintendent for the hospital, thanked Virtue Foundation Ghana for the support and promised to use the equipment well.