The College of Health Sciences (CHS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has held its 9th Biennial Scientific Conference on the theme "COVID 19: Health Challenge for this Decade, the Role of Health Professionals.” The Conference, which took place on September 29 and 30, 2021, brought together health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the health sector to examine issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Provost of the CHS, Professor Christian Agyare mentioned that the Conference will afford participants a great opportunity and platform to brainstorm together to expand the frontiers of health delivery in addressing the challenges posed by Covid-19 and other related health conditions.
‘The Conference would demonstrate what we, as health professionals and scientists, bring to the forefront to complement the efforts of healthcare services in addressing mankind's arduous war against Covid-19,' he said. He urged the attendees to form new partnerships to improve their aggregate productivity as a health-care team.
Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of KNUST, stated that current health and human systems have been pushed to their limits to ameliorate the consequences of Covid-19. According to him, the conference will address the obstacles that have been faced thus far to apply the lessons learned to future pandemics. He continued, "Any system that does not learn from its past in order to face future issues is doomed to fail."
The University's measures for uninterrupted academic work were defined by the Professor Owusu-Dabo. The University strengthened the virtual learning platforms by boosting the internet hosting bandwidth and training all lecturers and students on how to utilise the online platforms to finish the 2020/21 Academic Year.
A Covid-19 team was also established to execute policies on campus and through the University's distant learning capabilities to prevent infection and promote good health. They also set up holding and isolation centres for affected persons. He lauded the government’s initiative to kickstart Covid-19 vaccine production in Ghana and promised the KNUST’s commitment to working closely with the government to make it successful.
Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Presidential Advisor on Health, delivered the keynote presentation on behalf of the government, explaining that Ghana has seen a progressive increase in Covid-19 cases, leaving the health system to struggle with insufficient testing capacity. ‘Health practitioners treated patients with suspected Covid-19 infection without necessary training, PPE, or preventative measures, increasing their risk of infection,' he said.
In response to the issue, he listed the government's many efforts to contain and manage the spread of the virus. He cautioned, however, "We must continue to provide services for the prevention and treatment of the aforementioned priority diseases so as not to jeopardize the accomplishments made in the health sector." Dr. Nsiah-Asare urged health professionals to join the public education drive and embrace new competencies that will help in the development of effective risk communication messages to reduce misinformation.
He lauded the efforts of all frontline health workers for their hard work and commitment.
Coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan in December 2019 and Africa in February 2020, according to Dr. Francis Chisaka Kasolo, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ghana on ‘Covid-19 in Africa, Challenges and Lessons Learned.' He stated that as of September 2021, 8.2 million cases had been reported in Africa, with 210,000 deaths. According to Dr. Kasalo, WHO’s early response cantered on strengthening existing preparedness capacity by studying local medicines, providing the necessary logistics and supplies to assist the affected nations, and rapidly expanding laboratory diagnostic capability to all countries.
He recommended the need for Africans to develop their own production capacities for future pandemics, enhance community dialogue and invest in critical capabilities and health systems for future pandemics.
The conference saw the display of 76 posters on related issues and 40 oral presentations by scientists and students.