Accra opens infectious disease isolation centre

La General Hospital launches centre with Danish support.

A multi-purpose infectious disease isolation centre has been inaugurated at the La General Hospital in Accra, the first of five such units to open in the greater Accra area.

The other four, which are still under construction, are located at the polyclinics in Maamobi, Korle Bu and Adabraka, as well as at the Ga South Hospital.

The government-funded facilities are designed to act as isolation wards for deadly infectious diseases, in particular cholera, an outbreak of which hit much of the country in 2014.

The anti-cholera drive was boosted by a $1 million donation from the Danish government which Ghana has allocated to help prevent cholera through surveillance, treatment and the construction of isolation wards.

Commending the initiative, the Danish ambassador to Ghana, Tove Degnbol, called on the government to address primary causes for the spread of cholera such as contaminated street food outlets and dirty water supplies.