Thursday 14 June 2018

BAD STATE OF THE HEALTH SECTOR; THE HEART CRY OF GHANAIANS





" Nothing is more harmful to the service than the neglect of discipline; for it is discipline more than numbers that gives one army superiority over another"

-George Washington -

The 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana, Article -190(1), provides for the establishment of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to improve efficiently in the health care delivery in Ghana. The Ghana Health Service has a motto which reads; "your heath: our concern". Wowww! Do we see or experience this? Is a question that every Ghanaian should be asking.

   There have been numerous cases on medical negligence, indisciplined nurses et al within this country which no attention has been drawn to and if so, then what effect has it had on our medical services. There is an instance where a former Director of the Regional Hospital at the Eastern Region, Koforidua, introduced himself and pleaded with a nurse to try and find a bed for his mother at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The nurse retorted, "so do you want me to go to my house and bring my bed for your mother because you are the Medical Director of the Koforidua Regional Hospital?".

   An African proverb says that, " if a crocodile eats its own eggs, what will it not do to frogs and fishes”? Therefore, what happens to the ordinary patient like you and I is left for you to imagine. Why has this been the trend for a decade now? Can't the status quo change? The Ghana Medical and Dental Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana have the mandate to investigate misconduct of medical doctors, nurses and midwives. My question here again is, are they up to task? Well, time will tell.
More and more nurses are being named defendants in malpractice lawsuits, according to the National Practitioner Data Bank(NPDB).

    When Member of Parliament and lawyer,  Joseph Dindrock Kpemka's wife suffered from a stroke in September 2016, he was confident that medics could save her. Little did he know that the shortage of something as basic as a hospital bed would end up taking her life. His wife was rejected by Nyaho Medical center, a private clinic, from there to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Trust Hospital at Osu, Greater Accra Regional Hospital better known as Ridge Hospital where his wife finally kicked the bucket. If a Member of Parliament faced this tragedy, then what is the fate of the ordinary Ghanaians. Sometimes it pains as a citizen that, a tax payer will face this unbearable situation when he needs the country at most. Then what is the essence of paying tax?

  Recently, a tax payer named Mr. Anthony Opoku-Acheampong, was rejected by seven (7) hospitals within the capital city of this very country on the basis of unavailability of hospital beds. He finally kicked the bucket at LEKMA Hospital at Teshie. The family of the deceased had rushed him to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after he complained of having difficulties breathing. The nurse at the facility directed the family to the Korle Bu Polyclinic where they were to get referral letter before they could be attended to. But the old man died just 30 minutes after arriving at the polyclinic, where nurses and doctors tossed him around and left him unattended to until he kicked the bucket. Upon research, about 80% of Deaths in Ghana Hospitals are due to Medical Negligence. Hmmmmm... Poor Ghana! The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service has summoned the medical superintendent in charge of the LEKMA Hospital, Dr. Juliana Ameh. Who is in charge of insuring that there are beds in the hospitals? Will the summoning bring back the lost citizen? Who has failed the good people of this country? Dr.  Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Director-General of Ghana Health Service, assured that they will get to the depth of this issue and make sure this doesn't happen again in this country. Well, let us wait for the best time because Ghanaians have tested several series of decorated promises. Is high time politicians started walking their numerous talks. Accra has about 3400 hospital beds, for its 15000 residents, in the seven major hospitals. Korle Bu has 2000, Greater Accra Regional Hospital has 420 and Trust Hospital has 86. What are our leaders doing about this inadequacy? As I will always say, time will tell.

     There are about 55 working ambulances serving the population of about 30 million Ghanaians. Notwithstanding that, we have politicians who use cars, the cost of which/each could buy 5 ambulances. The money that are used for renovation of politicians’ lodge can be used to buy land and also build a mansion. Yet, they can not provide our basic needs. As far as my mind's eye can see, the number of hearses(a funeral vehicle used to carry coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery in Ghana outnumbers the ambulances that convey emerging cases like pregnant women in labour to hospitals. Likewise, about 51% of the maternity hospitals in Ghana do not have a general ambulance which can transport women in case of obstetric emergency. Unfortunately, it appears Ghanaians value the dead more than the living. If this country can move forward,it mainly depends on its labour; population. So, if its population is not treated well when it needs the country most, then what is the fate of this country. Sometimes I panic on the fate of this nation if there is any Natural Disaster like earthquake, disease outbreak and what have you. Are our hospitals ready to serve its people. How many ambulances do we have if there is an emergency? I always pray for Ghana that such things do not happen.  I fear for this nation😭😭🤢🤢.

 GOD HELP OUR HOMELAND GHANA AND MAKES US GREAT AND STRONG


Amo-Agyei Gideon is a first year student studying Bsc. Agribusiness Management who believes that activism is the only tool that can change the status quo
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥



No comments:

Post a Comment

IS IT A CURSE TO BE A STUDENT OF KNUST?

ARCHIMEDES WRITES Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has its mission statement which depicts that, the Universit...