Veronica Bekoe   

 

Veronica Bekoe is a Biological Scientist from Ghana. She is known for her impact in the prevention and management of communicable diseases.  A milestone in disease prevention in Africa is attributed to her invention: The Veronica Bucket.

 

Veronica attended Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science in 1971.

 

Her career with the Ghana Health Service spanned from 1972 to 2008. Veronica worked at the Public Health and Reference Laboratory (PHRL) until 2008. She briefly acted as the Head of PHRL when the then Head of Department retired in 2005 until a substantive head was appointed. She moved to the National AIDS Control Program (NACP) on contract as the Focal Point for HIV testing. Her duties included teaching and mentorship of laboratorians and other Health Care Workers throughout the country in HIV. Development of guidelines and SOPs, for HIV testing, evaluation of HIV test kits; structuring, training and implementation of proficiency testing in HIV serology.

 

Veronica received an award from the Ghana Health Service in 2005 for her invention of the Veronica Bucket. The Ghana AIDS Commission honoured her on World AIDS Day in 2008 for her role to improve the process of HIV & AIDS Universal Precautions and Infection Control as part of HIV prevention in Health facilities in Ghana.    

 

In 2015, the Embassy of the United States of America in Ghana conferred on her a Hero’s award for her outstanding leadership and support for the SLMTA/SLIPTA Program in Ghana. On the occasion of the International Women’s Day celebrations in 2019, she was a recipient of the Excellence Awards of the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana for her innovation, the Veronica Bucket.