The Ghana Medical Association says it is wrong for Ghanaians to blame doctors entirely for mishaps that occur during medical procedures adding that such acts are not premeditated.
The Thursday edition of the Daily Graphic reported that a woman who delivered a baby through Caesarean section at the 37 Military Hospital, has sued the hospital for negligence after a doctor left a surgical needle in her stomach after the operation.
Madam Victoria Kwaning, has therefore sued the hospital for Gh¢ 500,000 for making her suffer severe medical complications and loss of business.
The story has ignited the national debate about the manner doctors treat patients and the standards at public hospitals.
The association says although its members cannot be excused for professional negligence, they cannot be blamed for the mishaps since doctors are overwhelmed by huge numbers of patients they attend to daily.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Deputy General Secretary for the Ghana Medical Association(GMA), Dr. Justice Yankson said “the numbers in some situations are just too much for the doctors to handle, it becomes such that in some places you cannot even go on leave”
According to him, the problem is alarming and should be addressed effectively since it could lead to the loss of lives
“In this instance where we deal with human lives and sometimes, a slight mistake could result in the death of a person.I think that we need to go back and look at this bit very well,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Health, Dr. Linda Van Otoo has told Citi News doctors in the region are quite overwhelmed due to the imbalance in the doctor to patient ratio.
“We have quite a number of deliveries for the year 2013, and looking at the number, doctors are sometimes overstretched,”she said.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana