Port health authorities at the Ghana-Burkina Faso border at Paga here in upper east region say they have sometimes had to ask travelers coming into Ghana from Countries where Ebola cases have been recorded to return to their various countries.
This is because they have not yet been given a machine called a thermo-flash which can better help them screen and detect ebola symptoms in travelers. Therefore when they are not 100% sure of the ebola status of travelers coming in from Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, they send them back to their countries right from the border.
The Ghana – Burkina Faso border at Paga is one of seven approved entry point in the upper east region. This border is also one of the busiest in terms of business activity because of the hundreds of travelers who come into and leave the country through it on a daily basis.
The Port Health unit situated about fifty meters before the border is the designated authority for screening the health statuses of these travelers before they come into or leave the country.
So how well-equipped are the officials here for the screening of travelers for the deadly ebola virus disease? Francis Nyamekye, the head of the Paga Port Health unit and the Upper East Regional Coordinator for Port Health led A1 News to the health point near the immigration office, about 20 meters away from the port health unit. It is a structure similar to a pavilion and large enough to contain at least 30 people.
A female health official in a black skirt and white shirt uniform took A1 News through what happens here, using a traveler coming in from Mali as an example. She is wearing a white apron, a nose mask and gloves to protect herself. First she guides the traveler to fill in his personal details into a form. Then she gets to a portion of the form where questions are asked in attempt to ascertain chances that the traveler has the ebola virus.
Behind her, 3 male immigration officers are waiting to take the traveler through their own processes, once she is done with him.
Francis Nyamekye, the head of the Paga port health unit and regional coordinator for port health says the same process goes on at the other six approved entry points at Kulungugu, Mognori, Pulmakom, Zebilla, Widana and Namoo but there have been times when they have to ask some travelers to return to their countries because they do not a thermo flash, an instrument that can better aid them screen travelers for the ebola virus.
By: Albert Sore | A1radioonline.com | Ghana
