The Ghana-India Trade Advisory Chamber (GITAC), established to promote trade, investment and cultural interactions between Ghana and India, is to introduce innovative modular hospitals made with prefab, to help address the country’s health care system.
Modular hospitals are temporary emergency facilities built from prefabricated materials (reusable materials) and by transforming existing large spaces, such as warehouses, convention centres, and indoor stadiums which makes it a cost-effective solution during pandemics.
The move formed part of GITAC’s activities earmarked for its 5th anniversary celebration slated for February 23 to September 21.
The president of GITAC, Mr Dominic Oduro-Antwi, at a media launch in Accra on Wednesday said the initiative would be held in June where a health fair would be organise to introduce the innovation.
He said people would be brought from India, United States of America and Dubai to exhibit and teach Ghanaians about the innovation to help complement, and address the country’s health care system in terms of pandemic and disaster outbreaks.
“This is to let Ghanaians know that there are other ways to make things work instead of always moving a whole minister to go and inspect a project. We can have something like the CHPS compounds and sick bays built from these prefab to complement our health care systems,” he added.
Mr Oduro-Antwi said the Chamber was poised to empower the youth in medical tourism and agribusiness to help drive the economy.
Recounting some initiatives of the Chamber in the year, he said it had supported the youth in diverse ways through scholarships, and its knowledge bank initiative.
The initiative he said was to shape and financially support students with business ideas in all fields to create more opportunities.
Mr Oduro-Antwi called on all stakeholders to come on board, as GITAC mark the 5th anniversary, to promote Ghana’s trade in the African continent which was in line with the aim of the Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber.
A representative from the India High Commission and also member of GITAC, Mr Nazeer Khan, said his outfit was committed to collaborating with Ghana and GITAC to exchange ideas for economic development.
He said the introduction of the prefabricated hospitals would present an opportunity to transform Ghana’s medical system.
Other activities earmarked for the celebration of the anniversary include media engagement, educational fair, technology fair, musical festival in aid of maternal health care, launch of Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber in Dubai and London and to be crowned in September with a durbar and agribusiness fair specifically for women in agric.
The event is supported by GLICO Group and Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR