Love said establishing the fund was crucial in strengthening the country’s response capacities to such situations timeously and effectively. Mr Ayayi said this during an engagement with some selected assembly and unit committee members, social service committee chairperson and the presiding member of the Ho Municipal Assembly. The engagement was to sensitise the participants on the relevance of such fund in efficient and emergency health service delivery to the country and to empower them to be advocates of the fund at the local level. The Programmes Director said Ghana would not have felt the impact of the COVID-19 the way it did if there had been a fund in place for such emergencies. Mr Ayayi stressed the need for stakeholders to recognise the importance of disaster preparedness as a critical component of national development and prioritise it in the budget allocation process. He urged government to strength the capacity of relevant institutions responsible for disaster and epidemic management by equipping them with the necessary resources. Mr Ayayi said it was important for the state to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment to identify the potential hazards and vulnerabilities in different regions, saying, this would help in understanding the specific needs and allocating resources.
Source: Ghana News Agency
