This year, the theatre has gone ahead to perform over 70 successful surgeries and counting from January to date.
But this feat was achieved while operating under extremely heart-wrenching and jaw-dropping conditions at the theatre.
With obsolete equipment – some decades old – poor illumination, poor ventilation, rickety theatre beds and under an aura of uncertainty from patients, medical doctors will perform surgeries.
“It has not been easy performing surgeries at the theatre for the past 11 years that I’ve been here. You will come to work all smiles, but your spirit will go down once you have to attend to a case at the theatre because of the conditions under which you have to work. But you have to motivate yourself, improvise and tell yourself that there is a life to save,” doctor-in-charge of the theatre Hannah Swanzy-Essien told 3news.com.
Doors to the theatre were made of woods and do not swing as it is with standard practice.
Windows had all become weak to a degree that rain water enters the theatre with the slightest rainfall, sometimes disrupting a session.
Lights in the theatre were florescent and could not illuminate the place well. The theatre bed is too small and sometimes is not able to accommodate some patients.
Mrs. Swanzy-Essien explained that before a case is sent to the theatre, the patient is made aware of the conditions but amidst assurances that “everything will be ok”.
“However, once they enter and they see the equipment then you see worry written all over their faces. But with dedication and a high sense of professionalism and purpose, we are able to overlook all the challenges and perform a successful surgery.”
But doctors and patients may heave a degree of sigh of relief following rehabilitation works by the Rotary Club of Sekondi-Takoradi.
The Rotary Club of Sekondi-Takoradi has spent a total of close to GH¢80,000 to change all doors and windows of the main and minor theatre as well as the optometry section.
Electrical works to the theatre have been redone. New LED lights have been fixed. Highly efficient air conditions have also been fitted.
The walls, which were falling off at some points and the floor, have all been tiled.
Mrs. Swanzy-Essien together with her colleague workers and management of the hospital could not hide their excitement when the rehabilitated place was handed over to them.
“I am so excited about this rehabilitation works. It is surely a morale booster as we will be encouraged to do more. And I am sure that patients who come here will also feel calmed. I will want to applaud Rotary for this commendable gesture. Indeed, the gesture is so appropriate.”
However, she appealed for support to also change their equipment as “they are also as critical to our work as what has been done”.
President of the Rotary Club of Sekondi-Takoradi Vincent Koomson said the motivation for the rehabilitation work was to help “our women who mostly use the facility during child birth”.
“When we were looking for a place to have our project, we went to different places to look at the challenges that were there. But once we got here and were taken round and we saw the facility and how bad it was, we decided to help. We have all heard of stories of women dying during child birth, so the zeal to at least save a life drove myself and the board to settle on this facility for help.”
He said Rotary will continue to work with other stakeholders to “help put smiles on the face of the less privileged in society”.
By Eric Yaw Adjei|3news.com|Ghana