In mid-May, we launched the ‘COVID-19 Champions’ program, a global employee recognition initiative dedicated to celebrating those who are making a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic by finding innovative ways to support their colleagues, the Company and the community.
The program aims to recognize employees who are going above and beyond to make a positive contribution in the areas of health and safety, innovation, community support and increasing team morale.
This week’s winner is Dr. Michael Armah, Chief Medical Officer of Chirano who is being recognized for the health and safety contributions he has made to help protect employees and the the local Sefwi and Bibiani communities against COVID-19.
From the start of the pandemic, Michael has been an advocate for implementing health and safety best practices across the mine and sharing these with the community. Michael led Kinross’ efforts to source and distribute face masks, hand sanitizers and hygienic products for the Sefwi and Bibiani municipalities and help create education campaigns on the importance of implementing health and safety best practices.
While these best practices are an important factor in limiting the spread of COVID-19, Michael knew the region needed to be prepared in the event of an outbreak. With help from his team, Michael established a 13-bed isolation centre at the mine and two isolation centres in the Sefwi and Bibiani municipalities that are stocked with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). He was also responsible for leading the purchase of COVID-19 rapid test kits that help identify potential cases at early stages so that impacted patients can be isolated before the virus spreads.
In addition, Michael developed the online medical consultation platform ‘Telemedicine,’ that allows patients with non-COVID-19 related illnesses to consult with a physician via ‘Zoom’. This reduces the risk of the virus being spread to patients in need of general medical consultations by protecting them against symptomatic patients at the clinic.
Michael’s forward-thinking, hard work and leadership have been instrumental in protecting our employees and the community against an outbreak. We are thankful for his dedication and for putting himself on the front lines to keep everyone safe! Congratulations Michael!
