No place for children with Covid-19 cases in Ashanti Region

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) currently has no space for highly infectious diseases among children, Professor Sampson Antwi, Head of the Child Health Directorate has revealed.

The problem has been due to the recent upsurge in Covid-19 cases especially in the last 10 days. Nine children aged 11 days to 14 years have tested positive for the disease out which one has succumbed to it.

According to Professor Antwi, management of KATH and the Regional Health Directorate are working towards getting additional treatment centres which would help manage and treat children with mild covid-19 symptoms or children under stable conditions to ease pressure on KATH and allow room for new admissions. 

They are exploring possibilities of working with Kumasi South Hospital and Frimpong Boateng Medical Centre at Toase for that purpose.

His comments were in response to some allegations levelled against the Directorate that it lacks a standing team that manages covid-19 cases among children.

He said the Child Health Directorate has well trained and qualified health personnel who are managing and responding to both suspected and positive cases reported.

He noted that among other measures adopted, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were supplied every week and distributed among health care providers and patients as part of ensuring proper health service delivery.

He calls on all to help ameliorate the situation by wearing nose masks, practising social distancing where applicable, washing hands with soap under running water among others.