By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Akwapem-Mampong, Nov 08, GNA-The Ghana Highways Authority has begun the process to construct rumble strips at the frontage of the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Akwapim-Mampong on the Accra-Koforidua Road in the Eastern region.
This is to prevent the rampant accidents and pedestrian knockdowns claiming the lives of patients and health workers at the facility.
Mr Felix Brako, the Assistant Regional Public Relations Officer, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association-Eastern Region, told the Ghana News Agency that a team from the Roads and Highways Authority was at the facility to meet management to take measurements and do further discussion on the project.
“They told us that plans are underway to construct the table speed ramps in the long term,” he added.
Workers of the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, on Friday, November 1, took to the streets to demonstrate after a staff member of the hospital, Ms Ruth Nartey, was killed by an over speeding vehicle in front of the medical facility on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
The killing of Ms Nartey, a midwife, brings to three the number of pedestrians who were knocked down this year, with the other two being an elderly woman who died from severe injuries and a former lab technician of the hospital who is still recuperating.
A petition signed by Mr Mathias Kwadjo Amegbe and Jonah Tagnuntiba Tilonimbe, Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the workers, stated that the construction of speed ramps, pedestrian cross-walks, speed limit signage, road markings, and reflective lights was urgently needed to address the situation.
The aggrieved workers noted that implementing these safety measures would produce multiple, far-reaching benefits, including reducing fatalities and injuries, enhancing public trust and safety, and reducing burden on medical staff and resources.
The petition stated that, as a healthcare facility located on a major road, it serves a diverse group of individuals, including the sick, elderly, physically challenged, and children who may not have the agility or speed required to safely cross a busy highway.
The staff further stated that the hospital administration had received numerous reports from concerned family members, residents, and the community about the dire need for road safety measures in the area, stating that “We have also documented a series of avoidable
incidents where victims, in some cases hospital staff or patients, sustained severe, life-altering injuries.
According to them, these accidents not only cause personal trauma but also place additional strain on their medical resources and staff, who are committed to saving lives yet witness fatalities right outside the facility’s entrance.
GNA