The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana has welcomed plans by government to engage relevant industry players to produce the logistics required to prevent and combat the possible spread of the coronavirus in the country.
President Akufo-Addo yesterday, Wednesday, announced that the Government had begun talks with the domestic pharmaceutical industry to assist with the fight against the spread of coronavirus in Ghana.
Ghana is yet to record a case of the coronavirus but all of its immediate neighbours, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo, have recorded confirmed cases of the disease.
The Executive Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana, Lucia Addae said the association is committed to working round the clock to support the government in case of an outbreak.
“As manufacturers what we can do is to ensure that, any essential medicine that will be needed to fight coronavirus should be available and in good quantity…Currently it is possible we can have coronavirus coming into Ghana and when we do, we want to make sure we are prepared for it. Honestly, we have to prepare for it so we have to ensure that, we have the raw material available so we can have the medicines available so that, in the event that, coronavirus should hit Ghana there could be an increase in the use of the medicine. So the most important thing is we should be able to save more,” she said.
We can be self-dependent – President Akufu-Addo assures
While addressing Ghanaians on the nation’s preparedness on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, President Akufo-Addo said Government has begun to engage with the domestic pharmaceutical industry to assist in this regard.
“Indeed, we must take advantage of this crisis to strengthen our domestic productive capacity, so we can advance our self-reliance, and reduce our dependence on foreign imports. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo extended his appreciation to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and friends of Ghana for the assistance they have, so far, provided, and for the pledges made in support of Ghana’s fight against the virus.
“We shall continue to work with them to defeat the spread of the virus. I am confident that, together, with all hands on deck, we will be successful in weathering this storm,” he added.
How to protect yourself
To prevent the spread, the standard recommendations coming from the WHO is regular hand washing, covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.
We are also advised to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.