Checks by Citi News at the Tema General Hospital have revealed a grim picture of how infrastructure deficit is affecting healthcare delivery, to the extent that between four to six mothers delivered of newborns, share a single bed at the maternity ward.
The situation according to Citi News’ Elvis Washington, is creating a lot of discomfort and also posing a health risk for the mothers and their babies.
The maternity ward, which should take about six women, takes nearly 36 mothers, according to the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, Dr. Kwabena Adusei.
[contextly_sidebar id=”nb1AJkueVn5RJzh8qQbluO2wAE8lIiyA”]Elvis Washington, who visited the facility reported that about four to six nursing mothers together with their babies have to share a single bed at the facility.
“… One mother has just been brought in from the labour ward and she is about to share one bed with another mother. This woman is actually in a wheelchair with her baby on her lap; and she is going to share a bed with another mother who is actually on a single bed,” Washington reported.
Washington says both health workers and patients at the facility have lamented about the situation.
A nurse who spoke to Citi News revealed that the hospital is sometimes compelled to admit about four women on the same bed.
“The mothers do not feel comfortable because newly delivered mothers go through pains. They are forced to sit on chairs and their babies will be lying on the beds; it is uncomfortable,” the nurse lamented.
Pressure on Tema General Hospital
The Tema General Hospital which was constructed in 1954 by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s government, was built to serve as a health post to take care of the engineers who were at the time constructing the Tema Harbour.
But the facility, which has transformed over the years, is now serving over 900, 000 people in its catchment area.
The pressure on the facility is worsened by the number of accident victims recorded on the Tema-Motorway and other major roads close to the hospital.
Adjacent to the delivery ward, is an abandoned three-storey building which was started by the then Kufuor government in 2008, to address the congestion problem at the maternity ward; but Elvis Washington said the project has since been abandoned.
The Medical Superintendent, Dr. Kwabena Adusei, told Citi News, the hospital is overstretched to carry out its core duties.
“The Tema General Hospital is the third highest in the country in terms of delivery or maternity; but if you look at the infrastructure, it’s just a small place. At times the place that is meant for six persons to deliver, has about 36 people using the same facility.”
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana