A member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has raised concerns over Ghana’s preparedness for a possible Ebola outbreak, warning that current response systems are heavily concentrated in Accra and may not adequately protect the rest of the country.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV, Dr. Agyemang argued that recent preparedness assessments by the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health focused mainly on selected facilities in the capital, creating a misleading impression of nationwide readiness.
According to him, Ghana’s health security should be measured from the district level upward, especially in areas outside Accra where emergency response infrastructure may be weaker.
He questioned how regional and district hospitals would cope if an Ebola case were detected in communities such as Sege or Ada, stressing that preparedness must go beyond demonstrations in a few urban facilities.
Dr. Agyemang described the country’s overall emergency response capacity for highly infectious diseases as “woefully inadequate,” citing concerns about surveillance systems, logistics, and rapid response coordination across the country.
He called for stronger investment in district and regional health infrastructure, training for frontline health workers, and improved emergency response systems to ensure that preparedness is not limited to the capital.
His comments come as health authorities worldwide heighten surveillance following the World Health Organization’s declaration of an Ebola outbreak in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service say screening, surveillance and response systems at health facilities and points of entry have been intensified to protect public health and prevent possible cross-border transmission into Ghana.
