Authorities at the Korle Bu Polyclinic in the Greater Accra region are asking hospitals in the region to stop referring cholera cases to the facility.
The authorities say staff and resources at the hospital are over stretched and cannot admit any more cholera cases.
The number of cholera cases in the Greater Accra Region has increased from 3,600 to 5,000 with 45 deaths since July this year .
The polyclinic has so far, recorded over 900 cholera cases and four related deaths out of the total number of cases recorded in the region.
Speaking to Citi News, the Head of Public Affairs at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mustapha Salifu said the Out Patient Department (OPD) has been turned into a makeshift clinical bay due to the increasing number of cholera cases reported at the polyclinic.
“Since the outbreak of Cholera, we have seen close to 1,000 cases. The major part of the Polyclinic has been taken over by these cholera cases. The OPD is partitioned into two and part of it is being used to nurse cholera patients,”
“We have a cholera bay that is full; some of the consulting rooms are being used to manage cholera cases. The Korle Bu Polyclinic is inundated with these cases,” he said.
Mr. Salifu stated that the polyclinic can no longer receive patients suffering from the disease as a result of the increasing pressure mounting on its staff.
“We don’t want to receive further referrals from other hospitals to the Korle Bu polyclinic because our staff our overstretched. The resources that we need to run and keep patients going are all overstretched,” he said.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana