President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated that 3,600,000 face masks will be produced domestically, with an output of 150,000 per day.
“Fellow Ghanaians, it is vital that we protect the lives of our frontline health workers, who are risking their lives every day to battle this virus,” the President said on Sunday evening when he addressed the nation on measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Priority
The President said the government is placing high priority on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health workers.
“Thus far, three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) masks, five hundred and fifty eight thousand, six hundred and fifty (558,650) examination gloves, one thousand (1,000) reusable goggles, twenty thousand (20,000) cover-alls, seven thousand (7,000) N-95 respirators, five hundred (500) waterproof gumboots, two thousand (2,000) reusable face shields, two thousand (2,000) gallons of hand sanitizers, ten thousand (10,000) 100ml pieces of hand sanitizers, and five hundred (500) shoe covers have been sent to the regional health directorates, for onward distribution to the district health directorates for use by our health workers in all the districts,” he said.
Nonetheless, the President said more needs to be done to ensure the nation wins the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Necessity
The President also acknowledged the inventions being made by some individuals as part of their contribution to the fight against pandemic.
“I am equally impressed with the invention of a solar-powered hand-washing sink by Jude Osei from Kumasi, and the ‘COVID-19 prevention electronic bucket’ made by Kelvin Owusu Dapaah and Richard Boateng, both students of Obuasi Senior High and Technical School. Necessity, indeed, is the mother of invention, as the Ghanaian sense of enterprise and innovation is beginning to be felt,” the President said.
