Patients at the Kwesimintsim Hospital Labour Ward in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality (EKMA) in the Western Region have been lying on the floor to receive treatment as a result of the lack of space.
Speaking to Kwame Malcolm host of Radio 360’s morning show program dubbed, ” Yensom”, the Administrator of the Hospital, Felix Kesse says the various infrastructural challenges at the hospital impounds effective healthcare delivery.
He lamented that the Hospital does not have an accident and emergency ward except an improvised room with three (3) beds there and added that what identifies it as a Ward was the 3 beds available while most accidents on the Agona Nkwanta Highway were first brought to the Hospital.
“We play a very critical role in healthcare delivery in the region after Effia-Nkwanta, last year, we attended to 66, 952 clients for OPD yet we lack a childrens’ ward and offices for key staff so we have to improvise due to space. Our labour ward, if you look at our labour cases we attend to, we are at par with Effia-Nkwanta and even at peak times, we surpass them. So at peak times due to lack of space, some patients lie on the floor (floor patients) before they are attended to and it is not appropriate”, he lamented.
He further said they were constrained in terms of surgeries as there is only one theatre adding, “Now our doctor population has improved, 2017, there were only two doctors but now there are seven (7) and since the theatre is only one it is a challenge scheduling cold cases and emergency ones. All the doctors undertake surgery so if we had two theatres, the cases can be attended to concurrently but with this, most cold cases have to always be suspended to make way for emergency cases.”
Mr Kesse also said the lack of spacious stores makes the Hospital do procurement piecemeal and does not get the benefit of bulk buying.
He further stressed that despite digitized equipment being used, the Hospital still uses an analogue x-ray machine as procuring a digital one involves huge funds.
Felix Kesse further underscored the need for residential accommodation for some emergency staff.
“As I speak none of the staff stays close to the Hospital, not even the emergency staff, as the Hospital was upgraded from the polyclinic status in 2000 without any adjoining accommodation for staff. If nothing at all, at least the emergency staff should have been close, to attend to emergency cases but here we are with all staff staying quite a distance away,” he intimated.
He said despite its numerous challenges, the Hospital has managed to use its Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) to construct nine (9) seater washrooms for clients and staff, a new spacious waiting area for ante-natal and OPDs and created a separate registration point and Pharmacy for ante-natal.
It has also undertaken the drilling and installation of two mechanised automated boreholes with the Effia-Kwesimintsim Assembly helping them with an additional one.
