Former WHO Director appointed Ghana's Coronavirus Programme Coordinator

Accra, March 19, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed former World Health Organisation (WHO) Deputy Director-General, Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, as Coordinator for Government's Coronavirus Response Programme.

Dr Asamoa-Baah, who comes to the job with a wealth of experience in public health, will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Government's response programme to combat the spread of the Coronavirus in the country.

Ghana Thursday confirmed two more cases of the pandemic, bring to 11 the number so far afflicted with the diseases. But no deaths have been recorded, as all previous confirmed COVID-19 cases are being managed in isolation and are in stable condition, an official government website has said.

Dr Asamoa-Baah was responsible for supervising the creation of a new Health Emergency Programme in WHO following the Ebola outbreak in 2014.

He also led WHO’s work in developing the Ebola vaccine, and the team that developed a formal process of quality control for the training and verification of Emergency Medical Teams.

The public health expert who chaired WHO's Senior Management Committee that developed strategies and plans for the control of epidemics (Ebola, Merco, Zika and Famine), has also led the global efforts to develop a streamlined and integrated strategy for Neglected Tropical Diseases.

He also provided leadership for the development of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework in 2011, and supervised the technical development of a rapid and reliable diagnostic test suitable for use in resource restrained settings for sleeping sickness and Chagas disease.

Dr Asamoa-Baah was responsible also for the mapping of NTDs in sub-Saharan Africa, pinpointing areas of endemicity and allowing a much more targeted approach to mass drug administration and the surveillance needed to oversee its impact, and has developed technical strategies for the management of diseases with epidemic potential.

He has also worked to establish protocols for the management of hemorrhagic fevers and is currently working to establish vaccine stockpiles for meningitis, smallpox, cholera and yellow fever.  

Dr. Asamoa-Baah holds a Masters Degree in Community Health from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, and a Bachelors Degree in Medicine and Surgery (MB.Ch.B) from the University of Ghana Medical School.

He also holds Postgraduate Diplomas in Health Planning from Keele University, UK, Health Economics from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and Health Policy from the University of Wisconsin, USA.

GNA

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