The Ministry of Health has been advised to form a multi-sectoral stakeholder group to champion the fight against the Coronavirus.
The Ministries of Agric, Aviation, Ports and Habours, Finance, Parliament and other partners that can contribute to the fight should form this stakeholder team.
This measure, according to the call, has become necessary to help prevent potential crises in the country on the virus.
Members of Parliament gave the advice on Wednesday during a statement on the Coronavirus that stood in the name of the member for Nabdam, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawani.
According to the House, the earlier education starts on the epidemic the better especially when patients in China where the infection originates seem not to understand the basic concept of isolation, quarantine or provincial shutdown as a way of preventing the spread of the disease.
The Coronavirus outbreak started in the Chinese Province of Wuhan but has been reported in parts of the world including Japan, Indonesia, Australia and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Ministry of Health issued a public health alert while entry points into the country have been put under surveillance for travelers from China to undergo special screening.
Dr. Nawane noted that the measures that China has instituted to deal with the disease and the challenges thereof should prompt the government to evaluate Ghana’s emergency preparedness to contain the infection should it invade the country.
He urged the Health Ministry to intensify its educational processes due to the socio-economic status, cultural norms and religious practices of the country.
The suburban crowded settlements, the modes of performing funerals and organizing religious worships, he said, demand intensive public education.
He appealed for resources to be released from the Contingency Fund to the media to carry out public education programmes.
Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the member for Ledzokuku, who contributed to the statement, supported the call for the multi-sectoral team and argued adequate preparation, is what is required because the condition is no different from other respiratory conditions.
The symptoms, he said, are not different which could include headaches, coughs, colds and joint pains among others.
According to him, the severity could however be intense hence the need to report immediately to a health facility with these symptoms to enable health experts develop a suspicion threshold to detect the infection as soon as possible for treatment.
Member for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa, Dr. Sebastian Sandaare, warned of the economic implication of the epidemic and how it will affect the cost of living in Ghana.
According to him, Ghanaian traders would be compelled to put their business travels to China on hold until the situation is addressed.
This, he said, could affect prices of goods imported from China and probably have some implications on inflation and on the economy and urged the government to prepare for these possible shocks.
Mr. Ras Mubarak, MP for Kumbungu, in his contribution, urged the Government to respond to the cries of Ghanaian medical students currently stranded in China.
According to him, it will be a travesty if even one of the students were to die from the infection.
Other countries, he said, are already evacuating their nationals because of the severity of the situation and urged the government to bring the students home before the situation gets any worse.
He urged Ghanaians to avoid taking bush meat until the virus is brought under control, especially since it has been established it was passed from such animals to humans.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu, in his contribution, appealed to the Speaker to summon the Minister of Health to address the House on the virus and the measures put in place with other allied institutions to prevent it entering the country.
