By Godfred A. Polkuu
Sandema (U/E), Sept. 16, GNA – After publications by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), coupled with appeals by some government officials on the dire need for a power plant for the Sandema Hospital, the Ghana Gas Company (GGC) has responded to the needs of the hospital.
The hospital, which is a major referral centre for the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region, also receives patients from Chiana in the Kassena-Nankana West District, and some communities in the North East and Upper West Regions.
Despite the large clientele base of the facility, it had over the years experienced erratic power supply without any alternative power source after its power plant procured decades ago broke down.
Management of the hospital upon appeals through the GNA in exclusive interviews and at stakeholder engagements, consistently made appeals for a new power plant to facilitate effective health care delivery, as the Municipality continues to experience erratic power supply.
The GGC, through the efforts of Madam Vida Akantariwen Anaab, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) provided a 150 kilovolt-ampere plant to the hospital as its corporate social responsibility.
The Acting Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Opoku, in an interview with the GNA, said the lack of power plant, which was a major challenge to the facility, was solved, stressing that the erratic power supply to the Municipality affected health care delivery.
Dr Opoku appealed through the GNA to philanthropists, Non-Governmental Organizations, Corporate groups among others to support the hospital as it was faced with numerous challenges which affected health service delivery.
“The next pressing issue is the need for a new structure that will serve as an emergency ward. Our emergency ward is not an ideal one,” the Acting Medical Superintendent emphasized.
He explained that an ideal emergency ward should be opened and easily accessible saying “If we get very serious accident cases, rushing patients to the current emergency ward will be a challenge.
“Is not spacious, and one needs to walk into the hospital before accessing the emergency ward. An emergency ward should be easily accessible, so that when an ambulance arrives with a case, the patient can be moved straight into the ward for staff to immediately start work.”
Dr Opoku, therefore, appealed for a new structure to be constructed for the hospital to serve as an emergency unit, suggesting that “In the structure, if we can also have the newborn unit, that will be very much appreciated.”
He also added that the wards and offices in the hospital leaked badly when it rained, “Everywhere leaks; the Medical Superintendent’s office leaks, children’s ward, maternity and all the wards leak. So we wish it could be reroofed again.”
He noted that to reroof the hospital, would be capital intensive, and again appealed for support from benevolent organisations or individuals.
Touching on the issue of the hospital’s mortuary, the Acting Medical Superintendent said even though there was a newly constructed mortuary block for the hospital, it had no cold system. “When we get the cold system, we can start operating.”
When the GNA contacted Madam Anaab, the MCE, on the issue of the mortuary, she said it was of great concern to the Assembly, and that plans were underway to ensure the mortuary commenced operations to serve the entire Builsa land.
GNA