{"id":51027,"date":"2020-05-13T10:49:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T10:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hospitalarias.org\/en\/?p=51027"},"modified":"2020-05-13T10:49:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T10:49:01","slug":"newsletter-contigo-may-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hospitalarias.org\/en\/newsletter-contigo-may-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter Contigo. May 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We make available the newsletter Contigo May 2020, so you can read it in full. Don\u2019t miss it! <\/strong> Read full newsletter Contigo May 2020 <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We leave you an interview, which is part of March 2020 Newsletter, with a Sister Hospitaller since 1988, Georgina Donzing holds a degree in Nursing from the University of Ghana.<\/strong> She also studied teaching for vocational training in Rome (Italy) and speaks four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and Twi, her native tongue. Her Hospitaller career has been based primarily in Africa. She is currently the managing director of the Sisters Hospitallers\u2019 St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Assin Foso (Ghana).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you feel and how are you coping with\nthe COVID-19 pandemic?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I feel good, hopeful. I know that God\nwill answer our prayers for a vaccine or medication to be discovered soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My life and my routine have not changed\nmuch. I still move around the hospital to observe the different situations that\nmay arise, visit the units, and interact with patients and visitors. I am more\ncautious than usual to avoid contracting the virus. In Ghana, there has not yet\nbeen a total lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What protocols have changed at the\nhospital as a result of COVID-19?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So far the hospital is working well, even though preparation and the preventative mechanisms are exhausting our economic resources. We have implemented measures to stop the spread of the virus<\/strong>. At the entrance of our facilities, we have installed a control station where our healthcare personnel can examine and detect suspected cases of COVID-19 before these patients access the complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have installed hand-washing stations\nthroughout the hospital to facilitate and promote good hygiene among patients\nand professionals. We have also acquired protective equipment for the entire\nstaff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As head of the hospital, I am concerned about the welfare of the large staff under my leadership. Their safety is my priority, so we are taking all possible measures to avoid contact with the virus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What measures are being taken to ensure\nthe safety of patients?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Since 4 February, before the first case\nwas reported in Ghana, our Quality Control and Clinical Monitoring Team\norganised a training workshop for the whole staff where they received training\non the coronavirus, as well as the prevention and control of infectious\ndiseases. We also embarked on a public education campaign: we collaborate with\nthe city\u2019s radio stations to discuss disease contagion and prevention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, we are very strict about\nvisiting hours and only allow patients to receive one visitor at a time in\norder to limit the flow of people coming in and out of the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has been your biggest concern so\nfar?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The scarcity of PPE (personal protective equipment) and the increase in prices of essential healthcare items,<\/strong> particularly since the National Healthcare System has not reimbursed us for the funds we have had to advance for the past year, causing the pharmaceutical companies from which we buy products to refuse us credit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What measures are you taking on a\npersonal level to prevent contagion? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I strictly adhere to the established\nprotocols for all staff, such as frequent hand washing; I insist that everyone\nwho visits the office wash their hands regularly. And we no longer shake hands.\nI am very careful because I am in close contact with many people, some of whom\nare vulnerable. I take social distancing very seriously.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there anything you would like to say\nto the Hospitaller community?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I want to encourage the Sisters, the co-workers, and the volunteers from all our centres to continue their wonderful professional and humanitarian work, and continue praying. I also want to urge everyone to adhere to WHO protocols on disease prevention.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n