IOM Commissions WASH facility, Isolation Center at Paga border

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has commissioned and handed over a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facility and a fully furnished Pre-Fabricated Isolation Structure to the Port Health unit of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at the Paga border in the Kassena-Nankana West district of the Upper East region, Friday June 16.

The projects were funded by the government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ghana, with technical support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The aim is to improve border management capacity for responding to public health crisis including infectious diseases and COVID-19.

Madam Fatou Diallo Ndiaye, Chief of Missions for IOM Ghana (Resident), Togo and Benin, said at a brief handing over event that the facilities have been provided at all the major entry points into Ghana, including Elubo, Aflao, Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and Paga.

She said the facilities will help to improve preparedness in Ghana’s health care system and allow the Port Health unit of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to effectively respond to public health threats at the points of entry.

Port Health officials stationed at the various frontiers, were trained on the maintenance of the facilities in order to ensure their longevity and optimal functioning.

They were also provided with GHS approved Building Operations and Maintenance Manuals (BOMM) developed as part of the project to serve as a reference guide for staff to maximize the life span of the facilities which were crucial in the delivery of positive health outcomes in all major border districts in the country.

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental partners.

With 175 member states, a further 8 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

By Leo Nelson