A Blow On The Health Sector: Is This The Quality Health Care?

Few days ago, my counsellor Esi Benewaa of Starr fm reported a very concern health issue at the children's hospital as to how "SHORTAGE OF OXYGEN" is killing innocent babies in the health facility.

Now my concerns are:
Who caused it?
Do you blame the government ?
Do you blame the hospital management?
Do you blame the nurses?
What should be done to prevent this forever?
How can the parents be compensated?
Where are the forensic Nurses to investigate into this medicolegal issue?

Who is seeking justice for this innocent baby who is no more with us?

My colleague health workers and health authorities , let us not pretend as if we are never aware of such issues.

The worst health issues are swept under the carpet day in day out.

We see them, we experience them but also overlook them.

Do we indeed want improvement in our health sector or it should be the way it is?

The QUALITY HEALTH CARE the government has been preaching is just ON PAPER but in reality the government CARELESS. "PROPAGANDA"

Infact i smiled when some commentators were blaming nurses on duty for not reporting to hospital management that there is insufficient oxygen.

If the public is aware of how nurses always report health challenges to hospital management,especially insufficient logistics, unsecured environment, poor and weak electrification, just to mention a few, we will never and ever blame nurses when such sad events occur.

#NEVER BLAME NURSES FOR WHAT IS BEYOND THEM
Hospital Managers and Directors are also quiet when they report to government representative (ministry of health ) and their requests are delayed or not granted.

The funny side of the story is these managers defend the government in order not to lose their jobs (job security ). Hence they will tell the public they have all the medical logistics while in reality they lack the medical logistics.

Some managers also intend to keep mute.
Some of these authorities only come out with the truth when the issue affects them or their relatives.

Were this baby to be an offspring of a government official or committed member of a political party ...

Your guess is right as mine.
POOR SECURITY
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital "missing baby saga" and Korle-Bu Hospital "client suicide saga" did not teach our authorities and ministry of health officials any lesson.

I am suprised that such officials have security cameras in their homes.

My question is...
What prevents the provision of security cameras at the various hospitals especially the teaching hospitals?

Would that be a curse to the nation?
STAFF IDENTIFICATION CARDS
Most clients in Ghana do not care to know the identity of the health care providers (nurses,dictors,pharmacists,orderlies, and the other team members ) attend to them.

It is only when an issue arise that's when clients begin to show interest in health care provider's identification (names ).

I congratulate Ghana Health Service for initiating the provision of Identification Tags to some of their Staffs at Ridge Hospital, Adabraka Polyclinic and the few others .

I learnt the Teaching Hospitals (Komfo Anokye Hospital, Korke-Bu Hospitals,Tamale Hospital and Cape Coast Hospital) are also providing ID Cards to the staffs, so as the Military and Police Hospitals.

My question is...
How effective is this implementation?
Who is supervising and ensuring "ALL" health workers use the ID cards effectively?

Do all health workers have the Identification Card?

How do clients identify their health workers?
POOR SUPERVISION
Hahaha...!
Readers are amazed why i am laughing loudly.
The reason is so simple.
I will give the health authorities (district, regional and national directorate including the Ministry of Health ) 5 percent when it comes to supervision.

Reason :
These authorities officially informs the managers of the hospitals before going for such supervision.

How can supervisors identify the reality on grounds with this means?

Some hospital managers secure and store most of the few insufficient medical logistics and only ask the suppliers to supply them "A DAY BEFORE THE SUPERVISION".

Some even ensure 24 hours scrubbing and urgent painting of the hospital environment "A DAY BEFORE THE SUPERVISION"

The funny aspect is that, the logistics they supplied are recollected and sent to the managers instead of using them on the clients.

I refer to them as "MIRAGE MEDICAL LOGISTICS"

The "Allegation"
It was alleged that fire outbreaks at our two medical stores occurred a day before supervision.

Would these fire outbreaks have occurred if there was no a prior notice of supervision?

Smiling. ..
Yet our taxes are used to buy fuel and pay these supervisors for these "cos 90" supervisions.

Anyway, when is that investigative report on those fire outbreaks coming out?

I have "NO SHORT MEMORY"hence i will request for that report before i go into my grave.

To be continued...
Next Episode
Do you have National Health Insurance?
Do you know the lists of drugs and other medical interventions including diagnostic tests that your NHIS cover?

Has NHIS improved in quantity or quality?
#share your view on the public sphere
Pending program "HEALTH FOCUS" on target.

Let's do justice to health issues
By:
Douglas Adu-Fokuo
Health Journalist