The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund has cut the sod for the construction of a 100-bed facility to serve as an infectious diseases isolation and treatment center. The, project, according to the Managing Trustee of the Fund, Senyo Hosi, is estimated to cost about US$4 million.
Dubbed the ‘Facility 100 Project’, the project is scheduled to be completed in six weeks. A ceremony was held at the Ga East Municipal Hospital on Friday, April 17 to launch commencement of the the project.
According to Mr Hosi, most of the hospitals in Ghana are built with infectious disease control in mind, adding that the outbreak of the Covid-19 viral disease in the country has compelled managements of the various facilities to improvise in order to response to the pandemic.
This, he however, says is rather endangering the lives of many of the COVID-19 patients and the caregivers.
“One of the key projects we’re now running is the Facility 100 Project which is aimed at putting together a 100-bed infectious disease isolation and treatment facility which doesn’t exist in the country. It is the best time that we would be having an infectious disease facility that will best equip us to fight COVID-19.
“And the beauty about it is that, it is a project we are aiming to deliver in not more than six weeks, fully furnished. We have a cost target of US$8.5 million and a worst-case variation of an extra US$500,000. With US$4 million, we should have a 100-bed world-class infectious disease facility”, he added.
The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund
The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund is an initiative of 10 private businessmen and women to raise GHS100 million to support the government’s efforts to fight the spread of the virus in the country. Each of the 10 trustees have donated GHS100,000 to the fund.
The main objective of the group is to “deliver a very quick response to the challenges faced with COVID-19”, says Mr Hosi.
Since the outbreak of the virus in Ghana, the team, with the help of some local and foreign donors and state organisations as well as some volunteers, have provided relieves to several of the vulnerable in the society.
Under its ‘Feed the Kayayei’ project, the private sector fund group has provided food to head potters and the homeless and needy people during this partial lockdown. Similarly, the Group has presented Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to some medical centres and health workers in the country.
The general public can donate to the fund through the following channels: dial *777#100 on all networks and follow instructions.
Alternatively, the general public can send a bank transfer to 1300033187312, Fidelity Bank, Ridge Towers or visit www.ghanacovid19fund.com for more information.
