Health Of Ghanaians Unsafe... Arise Ministry Of Health !!!

I came to night duty and this is the condition of my ward "TOTAL BLACKOUT"/ ECLIPSE OF LIGHT.

How can I care for my lovely innocent patients in this darkness? ??

Ghana Health Service please do something because the managers of your hospitals are performing poorly and disgracing GHS. Anyway I still love GHS but not with this ....

This is not because of dumsor please but due to "weak wires" which has been setting mild fire outbreak of late since the last 2 weeksS but we always quench with the fire extinguisher. Sometimes it produces smoke at the entire ward which creates panic and fear and endangers the security of the healthworkers and the innocent patients.

Labour ward too same and the midwives cant conduct delivery..

All the wirings at the hospital are at fault, sometimes the wires set fire and we intervene with the fire extinguisher. Should the nurses and patients get burnt before our managers think wisely to do new wiring for the hospital?

my tears have now turned bloody......

What best can I do fellow Ghanaians?

The Director knows this issue and all that he could do was to buy a china lamp without thinking of referring all the patients to prevent any insecurity.

The lamp he bought too is fake one...

It only lights on when on charge

And if you remove it from the source of charge to perform any nursing procedure it goes off....

No nearby store to buy batteries with my personal money to care for my innocent patients ...

And cant leave the patients to town as I am the only one on duty and have to be with them in the total darkness as no one can see the face of the other.

Have called the my superiors and they are really enjoying their night as none of them answered my call

this is not about dumsor but poor management by hospital authorities

Even if it is dumsor that has damaged the wires, why cant they stop detaining patients in the evening and do a new general wiring?

This is crazy as it infringes patients right to security and right to know the identification of healthworkers who attend to them.....

I then ask, why are patients in Ghana not suing such hospitals ?

Almost 2 weeks now there was mild fire outbreak at the ward and we use the fire extinguisher to intervene

We are almost in the 3rd week, still the situation hasn't been solved and has worsen

Cant even stay at the ward because of insecurity but for my innocent patients sake I have no option.

Does GHS-MoH have supervisors?

How is the supervision done?

Do these supervisors work at night?

The real issues in hospitals happen at night.....

Last 2 months their walls started breaking and it nearly fell on me. I reported and till dat the weak walls are still not renovated.....

#Ghana is anti-proactive.....it is a pity...

Patients with worst conditions , others in severe pain come to some OPDs and they are turned off or referred to other hospitals on account of no doctor, no bed or no light.....

Similar happened on my duty as the relatives of the patients were furious but the best I could offer was reassurance that the patients will be well and giving therapeutic hand touch ......

So many Nurses in district health centres do consulting, Clarking, diagnosis and prescribe drugs at their own risk....without any legal barking

I then ask why government cant allow Nurse Physicians, Nurse Consultants and Nurse Prescribers to run effectively in Ghana?

My Resolutions:

1. Wiring system in all hospitals and healthcentres must be checked on and new wiring must be done where necessary (the old wires are weak). This will ensure security of healthworkers and patients and also prevent government from fireoutbreak related loss.

2. There MoH must ensure the supply of adequate of phones and credits in all the wards /departments of all hospitals (effective exchange line or call center) to effect quality communications before patients are transferred to prevent any preventive death and frustrations.

3. Strict supervision must be done without the awareness of the hospital authorities especially at night.

This will aid in knowing the reality on ground.

4. The ambulance service must be made free as it was previously

5. Review the job descriptions of nurses and ensure specialities like Nurse Physicians, Nurse Consultants, Nurse Prescribers,etc with the NMC:

This will help government to cut down expenditure on recruiting Cuba doctors and crying for more doctors ..

It will close the gap between physician to patients ratio

Patients will no more be tossed to and fro and frustrated from from hospital to hospital because of "no doctor"

It will also cut the budget allocation to medical doctors as they will be competition in the system.

USA and UK who are even rich and developed have done it and it has worked for them....

I pray that our weak wires will be intervened soon but we are burnt to death!!!!

By: Douglas Adu-Fokuo

(Critical Thinker)