Abstract
The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has stretched the resources of health facilities but there is a lack of context-specific reports across Africa. Since February, 2020, the university hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), a district-level institution, has been at the forefront in contributing to efforts in Ghana to fight the global pandemic. As of 16th August, 2020, 1755 individual samples have been taken at the hospital for COVID-19 out of which 629 (35.8%) tested positive, 414 (65.9%) recoveries and 6 (0.95%) deaths. The hospital's out-patient attendance has reduced by almost 50% with attendant loss of revenue. Here in, we present a report on our activities, highlight lessons and recommendations that other health facilities can glean from.
Highlights
Staff training, public education and outbreak preparedness: seven rapid response teams were formed, building from existing response teams during the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) threat in Ghana [2] and the 2017 and 2019 outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) within the Kumasi Metropolis [3]
We provide an overview of the main activities in handling the COVID-19 pandemic at our hospital
Case management and contact tracing: the processes of case detection, case management and contact tracing were based on guidelines by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health [4]
Summary
Public education and outbreak preparedness: seven rapid response teams (on duty for each day of the week) were formed, building from existing response teams during the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) threat in Ghana [2] and the 2017 and 2019 outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) within the Kumasi Metropolis [3]. Like several other African countries, is faced with a myriad of health system challenges. We provide an overview of the main activities (between February and August, 2020) in handling the COVID-19 pandemic at our hospital. It is a 125-bed quasi-government facility, which is equipped to provide general and specialist services to university staff and their dependents, students and private patients.
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