Speaking in an exclusive interview with Joshua Tettey, the manager lamented that the hospital is having qualified and dedicated personnel who are ready to help save lives but lack of equipments and logistics is making their work difficult.
“We have dedicated health workers here who sometimes have to sacrifice their leisure to see to the welfare of patients yet lack of equipments is making our work here difficult. This is the only hospital here serving two different districts. We have 300 staffs serving a catchment of over 27,000. The hospital as at now is having only an ambulance which is not even all that reliable. Our workers lack accommodation and it’s really affecting us”, he said.
He further added that, lack of fence wall has also paved way for stray animals to intrude into the hospital yard and sometimes compete with patients in their various wards.
” You can see the stray animals walking around and you will ask if they are here for medication. The animals ease themselves around anyhow and sometimes attempt entering some of the wards all because we don’t have enough funds to put up a fence wall around the hospital”, he told Joshua.
Speaking with some of the midwives at the hospital, they complained bitterly of lack of logistics.
“This is a Neu-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and you will be shocked to hear we have only one incubator which is also not functioning as it’s supposed to. We sometimes have to divide it into two in cases where we have more than a baby”, they said.
They further added that, as a referral hospital, lack of ambulance and nature of the road has lead to several casualties.
” When you refer an individual, lack of ambulance and the bad nature of our road sometimes scares them hence they prefer sitting back home to taking the risk of getting an ambulance which is actually difficult”, they added.
According to the general manager, the hospital had to resort to the use of a 1974 washing machine since the laundry started by the government has to be left uncompleted for the past 3 years.
“Hmmmm, we only have to resort to the use of the washing machine provided for the hospital since its establishment in the year 1974 because our laundry which was started somewhere 2012-2013 has been left uncompleted for the past 3 years”, he said.
He, therefore, appeal to the general public to come to their aid.
” I will like to plead with the government, NGOs, individuals and the general public to come to our aid as things are getting out of hand.”
The Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital is the only available hospital serving the good people of both Kwahu Afram Plains North and South Districts.
#talesfromPlains by Joshua Tettey. 0209534579