Authorities of Begoro Government Hospital in the Fanteakwa North District of the Eastern Region are worried over high stigmatization against staff and the facility after recording a positive case of coronavirus.
According to the Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS) Millicent Annor, Taxi Drivers are refusing to pick Nurses and other known staff of the facility for fear of being infected whereas clients are not willing to seek healthcare at the hospital.
Some residents chased out the Medical team who were looking for accommodation for quarantine.
Dozens of Nurses and patients who were exposed to the contact have been quarantined.
Since the case was recorded, health workers at the Begoro Hospital are being stigmatized against by residents. According to the Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS) Millicent Annor, taxi drivers in the community are refusing to pick nurses in Uniform and other known staff while food sellers wrap polythene bags around their hands before collecting monies from the health workers.
She said many clients are also reluctant to access healthcare in the facility.
She said the Hospital was liaising with the District Assembly and the NCCE to give the sensitization and information to the community and the whole Fanteakwa North District”.
The DDNS said this Wednesday April 15, 2020 when a Parliamentary aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, in Fanteakwa North Haruna Apau Wiredu, donated Veronica hand washing buckets, dustbins, hand sanitizers, liquid soaps, and Tissue papers to health facilities, Market Centers, traditional council and political parties in the District.
The donation, according to the Parliamentary Aspirant is to encourage hand hygiene to help contain the spread of the disease. He urged residents not to stigmatize against health workers and persons tested negative.
The Eastern Region is the third region with high confirmed cases of Coronavirus. The region has recorded 41 cases as of April 13, 2020 with most of the cases recorded among railway construction workers in Lower Manya Krobo. Fanteakwa District on April 11, 2020 also recorded first case of COVID-19.
A 65 year old farmer on April 5, 2020 accompanied by his wife reported at the Begoro Hospital and was admitted at the male ward on account of query tuberculosis but on the following day he developed dyspnea and fever of about 41 degree Celsius which drew attention of the management of the facility to a suspected case of Covi-19. His sample was taken to Noguchi which tested positive. It is not clear how the farmer came into contact with the disease.