Accra, Aug. 22, GNA-The Mission of the Diaspora African Forum (DAF) with support from the Gradian Health System, has donated 300 airway kits worth 15,000 dollars to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
The donation is to support the government of Ghana’s COVID-19 response efforts to build critical care capacity in the country’s health system, a statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency has said.
Madam Erieka Bennett, the Head of Mission of the Diaspora African Forum, said the support would enable physicians and the nurses to help patients receive life-saving breathing and oxygen support.
She said the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that approximately 20 percent of people with COVID-19 developed difficulty in breathing and required hospital care; hence, the donation to help patients who experienced mild to moderate respiratory illness.
“Every donated airway kit includes more than 20 critical supplies that the physicians and nurses can use to provide breathing support and oxygen therapy for Covid-19 patients, such as oxygen masks, endotracheal tubes, stethoscopes, and ventilator circuits.
“Each kit also includes a pulse oximeter which is a device critical for monitoring the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood and detecting when advanced care is required for Covid-19 patients”, she stated.
Madam Bennett indicated that the partnership with Gradian Health Systems was another example of the Diaspora African Forum’s stated mandate of supporting member states of the African Union towards full integration of Africans in the Diaspora, while also strengthening engagement among African nations.
“We Know that the Covid-19 pandemic currently raging around the world has had a devastating impact on people’s lives and the global economy…
the Diaspora Africa Forum and Gradian Health Systems are collaborating to increase awareness on-the-ground, the governments, across healthcare systems, and African media to get the word out and be prepared to secure people”, she stated.
Ms Lina Sayed, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gradian Health Systems, said her outfit was honoured to partner with the Diaspora African Forum to share experiences and resources to help support Ghana’s Covid-19 response.
She said as a non-profit medical technology company that develops, distributes, and sustains world-class medical equipment for health care systems across Africa and Asia, her outfit knew that equipping health care providers with the equipment, training, and support they needed could transform care and the ability to respond to Covid-19.
“Gradian desires every anesthesia provider to have all the tools necessary to care for each patient, from high-quality anesthesia machines to every piece of equipment the patient deserves for optimal safety”, Ms Sayed stated.
Dr. Okoe Boye, the Deputy Minister of Health, who received the donation on behalf of the Ministry expressed gratitude to the two groups for the gesture and asked that it should not be a one-time experience.
“We look forward to establishing a strong relationship…,” he said.
Dr. Da Costa Aboagye, the Leader of Risk Communication for the Covid-19 National Response Team, also expressed gratitude to the groups for the donation, adding that the gesture would assist in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
The donation was done via zoom and joined by Ms. Lina Sayed, Chief Executive Officer of Gradian Health Systems-New York and Rati Bishnoi, Communications Manager at Gradian Health Systems-New York.
GNA