IOM supports Government with handling public health emergencies at main land borders

Elubo, Aflao, Paga —On 24 May, 14 June and 16 June 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ghana brought together government representatives, border residents, officers of Border Management Agencies (BMAs), donors and partners to hand over Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and isolation facilities to the Port Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at the various land borders. The interventions are funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ghana, to strengthen the capacities of the borders to handle public health emergencies.

As part of the “Improving Border Facilitation and Strengthening Border Public Health Capacities in West Africa in Response to Infectious Diseases/COVID-19” project, the provision of medical equipment such as ambulances, tablets, laptops and blood pressure monitors were also donated to assist the running of the facilities.

Since 2020, COVID-19 has caused severe setbacks and had far-reaching impacts on economy, environment, and society overall. IOM has been and remains a key partner to the Government of Ghana in the COVID-19/public health emergency response.

“Emergency preparedness and response are critical in the management of public health emergencies and COVID-19 has shown us this. The WASH facilities, isolation centres and equipment will make us more prepared to curb the spread of infectious diseases at the main land borders,” said Dr. Gifty Amugi, Deputy Regional Director of Public Health, Western Region.

Guided by its human rights principles, IOM is working to facilitate orderly, safe, and regular migration in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005). IOM’s approach is based on a Health, Border and Mobility Management (HBMM) framework. The HBMM framework aims to enhance the prevention, detection and response to communicable diseases and other health threats at all stages of migration.

Chief of Mission of IOM Ghana, Fatou Diallo Ndiaye,  said during the handover ceremony at the Aflao border: “IOM plays a leading role in supporting governments and communities to build robust health systems that are responsive to the needs of migrants and mobile populations, and equipped to address public health concerns.  Our evidence-informed, inclusive and rights-based approach that leaves no one behind, ensures that the affected and at-risk populations benefit from appropriate and timely support.”

Border communities are more severely affected by disease outbreaks. Due to the high rate of movements, diseases could spread quickly, escalate and impact cross-border trade and livelihoods.

Dr. Lawrence Lartey, on behalf of the GHS Director General during the Paga handover, highlighted the “complementary nature of the interventions”. He shared that the GHS would have a medical officer assigned to the facility to allow “border community members to access health care for the treatment of minor diseases.”

A Ghana Health Service-approved operations and maintenance manual will support the efficient operation of the facilities and ensure their longevity. Staff in charge of the facilities were trained on the maintenance of the facilities using the manual as reference guides.

During the handover ceremony in Elubo, Hon. Louisa Iris Arde, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jomoro Municipal Assembly, emphasized the “need for Port Health to institute a proper maintenance regime to ensure sustainability of the facilities to improve hygienic conditions at the borders.”

In a parallel effort, the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) on Infection Prevention and Control for frontline border officials have been reviewed and adapted to better respond to future public health challenges at the borders. The adaptation of these SOPs will provide the responsible authorities with the operational guidelines and procedures to ensure that points of entry (PoEs) are able to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats.

For more information, please contact Kojo Wilmot, National Programme Officer, Immigration and Border Governance, IOM Ghana, at kwilmot@iom.int.