Accra, 31 March, 2020 / 6:55 am (ACI Africa).
As health facilities grapple with a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 and the increasing number of people infected with the disease, the Catholic Church in Ghana has launched an appeal inviting all Catholics to donate protective equipment and other medical supplies to support the 46 Hospitals and the 83 Clinics run by the Church under the National Catholic Health Service in the fight against the pandemic.
“The National Catholic Secretariat has the blessing of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) to make this special appeal to all catholic organizations, businesses, the faithful and any person who stands in a position to assist (in) one way or the other by way of donating any of the PPEs,” said Fr. Lazarus Anondee, Secretary General of the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS), in an appeal letter dated March 27, that was circulated to the Catholic faithful in the West African country.
The appeal is part of a nine-month National Emergency Response Plan for COVID-19 being championed by Caritas Ghana, the Relief and Humanitarian Agency of GCBC.
The PPEs to be donated to the Catholic Health facilities include non-disposable isolation gowns, face masks, aprons, helmets, safety glasses/goggles, hand sanitizers, safety boots, gloves, disposable isolation gowns, methylated spirit and gun thermometers.
“In these times of COVID-19 pandemic, there is the need for people all over the world and Ghana in particular, to live exemplary Christ-like lives by extending love, kindness and care to those that are most affected or in the line of high risk to the deadly COVID-19,” said Fr. Anondee.