National Union for Ghanaian Students (NUGS) Chapter President, Wuhan-China, Sampson Opoku has expressed gratitude on behalf of his colleagues to the Government of Ghana and the Ambassador of Ghana to China, H.E Edward Boateng for their efforts in keeping them safe in what was the epicenter of the coronavirus, Wuhan.
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Speaking as a panelist in a virtual dialogue broadcasted live on Net2TV, e.tv Ghana, Happy FM, Oman FM, and Ash FM, the president narrated the sequence of events and support they received from the Foreign Affairs Minister; Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ambassador Edward Boateng and the government in general.
“The communication and level of engagement we received on a regular basis from the embassy is something we can never forget. They were always in contact with us to make sure nothing bad happened to Ghanaians. God being so good, not a single Ghanaian died in Wuhan thanks to the efforts of our embassy and government,” he stated.
According to Sampson the level of cooperation between the Ghanaian embassy, students and other stakeholders was top notch. “People from other embassies wanted to know the strategies ours had put in place because our support system was noticed as a remarkable one.”
Narrating the story to on-air and the reaction of other nationals when Ghanaian students received the relief items dispatched by the government, he said, “Other nationals were quite surprised when the government sent in food items and money to Ghanaian students in China.” This seems others were not sure Ghana was capable of that much love and the act changed the perception of many regarding the country.
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Commenting on the series of counseling sessions arranged by the government to students who were locked up in Wuhan, he commended the act and said, “Though it was a virtual activity via WeChat, it was very effective. The mission did well and supported us a lot. When we asked for a psychologist, the government didn’t look down on us. We were provided with one. We appreciate Dr. Ama Edwin for her time and dedication towards us. Her work is greatly appreciated.
He commended his colleague students for exercising patience and understanding during the peak of the medical emergency in China.
The dialogue saw other first-hand witnesses to the COVID-19 outbreak share their stories and knowledge on how Ghana can replicate some of China’s strategies in combating the virus.
Constituting the panels were H.E. Edward Boateng, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Dr. Percy Akuetteh, Hepatobiliary surgery Ph.D. student and Chairman of Ghanain Association Wenzhou, China, Dr. Ama Edwin, a Physician Clinical Psychologist, and Bioethicist at the University of Ghana Medical Center, Mr. Abu Osuman, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Ghana Beijing China, Mr. Sampson Opoku, Ph.D. Candidate and NUGS Chapter President, Wuhan-China and Miss Gloria Akpabla, Women’s Commissioner, NUGS China.