Ghana's Vice President calls on all to appreciate Ebola threat
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has called on Ghanaians to appreciate the threats posed by the Ebola virus to make the country deal with it effectively.
He said, “there has been a lot of indifference and complacency on the part of a number of our population in confronting the threat the virus poses.
Mr Amissah-Arthur made the call in a statement read on his behalf at the opening of a one-day roundtable discussion organised by the Ministry of Defence on the theme: “The Changing Face of security – Our Preparedness,” held at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra yesterday.
“The fight against the threat to our lifestyles calls for an appreciation of the threats and discipline to improve sanitation practices, commitment, the provision of logistics and global support,” he said and added that the Ebola disease was a threat to the very existence of West African nations.
Appreciating the support received from health professionals since the outbreak of the disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mr Amissah-Arthur expressed the hope that the country’s health personnel would also be up to the task, if they were called upon.
Govt remains steadfast
The Vice-President said the government remained steadfast in its quest to provide the necessary logistics to forestall the outbreak of the disease in the country and also support affected countries in the sub-region.
“We are, therefore, ready to cooperate with regional and international agencies to contain it. The success of these measures, however, lies in our own hands and calls for a lot of education, sacrifices and changes in our lifestyle, traditions and culture,” the Vice-President stressed.
He asked all to make a report to the nearest health facility of anybody showing symptoms of the disease even if the victim was reluctant to seek treatment.
Mr Rashid Pelpuo, Minister of State in charge of Public Private Partnership, who represented the Vice- President, lauded the security services for giving the country international recognition and respect due to their steadfastness, commitment to duty and discipline.
He expressed confidence that the security agencies would be able to handle any security threats to the nation, should they occur.
Importance of roundtable
Mr Alexander Segbefia, the Deputy Minister of Defence, who represented the Minister of Defence, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, said ensuring the safety and security of all persons in Ghana and the neighbouring countries was the concern of the government and the security agencies.
He indicated that the Ministry of Defence recognised the need for the various security agencies to collaborate in discharging their respective responsibilities and said the discussion was one way by which the spirit of collaboration among the key stakeholders could be whipped up.
“Criminals know how to collaborate among themselves in carrying out their nefarious activities. It only stands to reason that those who are charged to protect the interest of decent and law-abiding citizens must collaborate even more,” he stressed.
The Chairman for the roundtable discussion, Mrs Jane Amavi Kwawu, an international consultant, said there was the need to demystify security issues, since they had economic, social and health effects.
“A framework is needed in defining security issues for the country so we will put programme language to preparedness,” she said.
Writer’s email: Edmund.Asante@graphic.com.gh
This story was first published by the Daily Graphic on October 22, 2012
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