Access to quality healthcare delivery has become a luxury for residents in the Yilo and Manya Krobo Municipalities affected by weeks of power outage.
Patients and caregivers have to endure heat and darkness while on admission at health facilities in those areas.
Rationing power and fueling hired generators and plants has now become the norm in the affected hospitals where they resort to rechargeable lamps and flashlights for illumination and medical care in some instances.
Onuaonline’s correspondent, Yvonne Neequaye has keenly been following how health centres within the municipalities have been coping with the unavailability of power and healthcare delivery.
The Somanya Polyclinic in the Yilo Krobo Municipality see an average of 100 patients a day. But the numbers have gone down. Only basic OPD services and laboratory test are being rendered. Patients on admission at the Polyclinic are going through worst experiences.
The heat and noisy generator sets being borne by mothers and their sick children is a scene to behold.
A mother, who was captured fanning herself and her sick child with a piece of cloth lamented: “I have been here with my child for two days now. The heat is ununbearable. The heat is too much. My child is crying. We came here to get healed, but the situation isn’t help ing.”
Another added “I buy batteries everyday to ensure we have some sort of light in the night. My Son cannot sleep in the darkness, it’s a bad situation.”
The Administrator of the facility, Vincent Tamakloe, says the 1,000 Cedis spent on hired generator set and fuel on a daily basis is crippling the facilty.
According to him, surviving another week is a doubt. “We cannot continue this expenditure if the power outage stretches on. We may have to talk to our superiors for action to be taken,” he said.
At the the new Yilo Krobo Municipal Hospital, same basic services are being offered. Plans to start a maternal care has to be put on hold due to the power outage. The plant at the facility runs on a 3,000 Cedi fuel daily.
General healthcare services and the Mortuary services run shift on the powered plant.
“We switch it on in the morning to take care of OPD cases that come in, and off it in the afternoon after midday. At 6pm we switch the Morgue on till the next morning and switch that off too. So we are rationing the power plant here to sustain the services. On daily basis we are having management meetings to take decisions. We definitely cannot go on like this,” Acting Medical Superintendent of the Yilo Krobo Municipal Hospital, Dr. Francisca Mensah Darkwah indicated.
Patients on admission at the St Martin’s de Porres Hospital at Agormanya have been referred to nearby hospitals.
The Hospital Management says spending 3,000 Cedis per day on fuel cannot be sustained.
Administrator of the facility, Emmanuel Bosompem has been sharing this with our Correspondent.
“We have an old plant we use for the day. After 2pm we switch it off and use two hired generators for the records and laboratory to run. Our system is Automatic not manual, so we can’t go off in that area totally. We may have to speak to our superiors to temporarily suspend services if the situation prolongs,” he shared.
He also indicated surgeries have been suspended whilst antenatal care has been affected. A challenge that may affect maternal and child healthcare if the situation is not remedied immediately.
“We can’t tell what will happen to our pregnant mothers who cannot receive care here again. Many are home unable to come because they would be turned away. We do 10 deliveries daily with two Surgeons available. We definitely cannot meet maternal mortality and child mobility goals with this ongoing situation in the two krobo areas,” Dr. Bosompem noted.
Nurses and midwives in the two municipalities are worn out already having to depend on flashlights and work in darkness to attend to patients.
Some at the St Martin’s de Porres hospital have reported of attacks in the dark.
Their executives have been monitoring activities of the members and hope power is restored soon before they would be forced to lay down their tools.
For now, it’s a case of endurance and perseverance for all stakeholders in the health sector in the Yilo and Manya Krobo Municipalities.
The power outage in these areas is in its third week.
By Yvonne Neequaye|Eastern Reg.|Onuaonline.com
