Donated airway kits include more than 20 critical supplies for life-saving care
Accra, Ghana—H.E. Ambassador Erieka Bennett, the Head of Mission of the Diaspora African Forum (DAF), and Gradian Health Systems are partnering to support the Government of Ghana’s COVID-19 response efforts to build critical care capacity in the nation’s health system.
The support began with the donation of 300 airway kits to the Ministry of Health so physicians and nurses across the country can help patients receive life-saving breathing and oxygen support during COVID-19, other respiratory illnesses, or critical medical procedures.
While the vast majority of people infected by COVID-19 experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 20 percent of people with the virus develop difficulty breathing and require hospital care.
Every donated airway kit includes more than 20 critical supplies physicians and nurses can use to provide breathing support and oxygen therapy for COVID-19 patients, such as oxygen masks, endotracheal tubes, stethoscopes, and ventilator circuits. Each kit also includes a pulse oximeter—a device critical for monitoring the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood and detecting when advanced care is required for COVID-19 patients.
This partnership is another example of DAF’s stated mandate of supporting member states of the African Union toward full integration of Africans in the diaspora, while also strengthening engagement among African nations.
“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic currently raging around the world has had a devastating impact on people’s lives and the global economy,” said Amb. Bennett. “The Diaspora Africa Forum and Gradian Health Systems are collaborating to increase awareness on-the-ground, in governments, across healthcare systems, and African media to get the word out and be prepared to secure people.”
“We are honored to partner with the Diaspora African Forum and share our experience and resources to help support Ghana’s COVID-19 response,” said Lina Sayed, CEO of Gradian Health Systems. “As a non-profit medical technology company that develops, distributes, and sustains world-class medical equipment for health care systems across Africa and Asia, we know equipping health care providers with the equipment, training, and support they need can transform care and the ability to respond to COVID-19. Gradian desires every anesthesia provider to have all the tools necessary to care for each patient, from a high-quality anesthesia machine to every piece of equipment the patient deserves for optimal safety.”
Diaspora African Forum (diasporaafricanforum.org)
The Diaspora African Forum (DAF) is an African Union (AU) endorsed non-profit organization opened on July 7, 2001 by H.E. President J.A.Kufuor. DAF is the only African Diaspora organization in the world with diplomatic status enabling DAF to accomplish groundbreaking work in diaspora advocacy at the highest levels of government in Ghana and Africa, in general. DAF’s mandate is to support the AU and Member States towards the integration of Africans in the diaspora while strengthening African diaspora engagement in Ghana and continent wide. DAF plans to continue its efforts as a change agent towards the development of solid policies for the reintegration of the diaspora Africa worldwide.
Gradian Health Systems (gradianhealth.org)
Gradian Health Systems is a nonprofit medical technology company that works to transform the impact of medical equipment in resource-constrained hospitals around the world. With a business model that blends sales and grant revenue to sustain our mission, we distribute world-class medical devices and provide local, hands-on training and customer support to minimize downtime and maximize impact. Gradian works in partnership with governments, distributors, universities, hospitals, and NGOs to build capacity in anesthesia, critical care, and biomedical engineering alongside the introduction of its products. Gradian’s products, including the Universal Anaesthesia Machine and the Gradian CCV (Comprehensive Care Ventilator), are in 700+ health facilities worldwide.
DNT News, Accra
