Editorial
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is not ‘a place of no return’
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, has expressed concerns on the widespread belief that the hospital is “a place of no return.”
Dr. Ampomah claims that this view has caused fear in many people, and that fear has impacted the hospital since those people refuse to go to Korle-Bu when they are referred there for medical care.
When people refuse to seek medical attention in a timely manner, it has either made their condition worse for some patients or resulted in the premature death of many others.
However, Dr. Ampomah says that Korle-Bu is among the most effective hospitals in terms of providing healthcare.
According to him, “99 percent of patients admitted return home healthy after receiving treatment, contrary to the belief that people die when they seek healthcare here.”
Dr. Ampomah explained the situation at the first Korle-Bu healthfest and photo exhibition that was accessible to the public.
He said because of the false stereotype that you will die if you go to Korle-Bu, “people on referrals with various conditions stay away for many months or years and by the time they report, it might be too late.”
It is unfortunate that some people choose to stay at home worsening their health rather than visiting KBTH, despite the facility being a national asset that belongs to all Ghanaians.
The Spectator expresses alarm about this disclosure and advises the sick on referral to seek medical care at Korle-Bu without hesitation for their own well-being.
We entreat the media to be more cautious in their reporting to inspire confidence in the public and help them get the most out of the hospital, rather than listening to stories that do not edify.
This is due to the fact that patient trust in the hospital plays a critical role in the healing process when it comes to healthcare.
The Spectator applauds the hospital for taking the initiative to launch the patient feedback system in an effort to identify and try to address the specific problems raised by the general public.
It is encouraging that although some people are reluctant to visit Korle-Bu for medical attention, others choose to do so because the facility is staffed by highly skilled physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Presently, it employs more than 4,000 medical and paramedical personnel, seeing 1,500 patients a day on average, 250 of whom are admitted each day for additional care.
Being a human institution, the hospital may have flaws, so we implore all parties involved to stand by Korle-Bu and help position it to serve the medical needs of Ghanaians and other citizens. At the moment, Korle-Bu is the largest hospital in Africa and the primary national referral centre in Ghana.
In order to make the environment comfortable for patients, we also implore people and organisations to adopt and routinely maintain the wards in the various departments. Bungalows should also be renovated to provide physicians and other staff with a respectable environment to work.
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is not ‘a place of no return.’
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
