Korle Bu suspends emergency referrals

Authorities at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have suspended the referral of emergency cases to the Surgical and Emergency Unit for lack of space. The decision, according to the nation’s foremost tertiary medical facility, follows the congestion at the Unit. Health workers were compelled to attend to patients at the Unit in bizarre ways. The facility is a 36-bed capacity structure but currently has in excess of 60 patients. A visit by TV3 on Tuesday showed patients scattered on the corridors of the Unit with their IV fluids stuck in them. Doctors and nurses were struggling with movement around to deliver care. Due to the limited space at the Unit, family members of patients are made to sleep outside. According to hospital authorities, the situation has compelled them to ask sister hospitals to hold on with referrals to the facility, for now. The Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Mustapha Salifu, said the situation is currently under control. “The number has reduced, and we moved some of the patients to the main unit. Another measure we took is to call other hospitals to hold on with referrals.” He also revealed that there are plans to expand the facility to a 70-bed capacity by the end of this month. “We are planning to open the bigger emergency ward,” he said, “it will at least double the capacity that we have now.” The situation is, however, not same at other units of the hospital, as the news team gathered some of the patients who are stable have been moved to other wards. Hajia Janat laments how she had to endure watching her sick daughter attended to in a chair. “It is very appalling. If you have not brought a patient here and you just listen to radio and television, you might think all is well. Since we came, she has never had a bed.” For madam Mary Abrokwa, she had to rush across the street in front of the hospital to buy plastic chairs to enable her sick husband, who had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, get attended to. Earlier in the day, various social media platforms were flooded with pictures of patients being attended to in plastic chairs and also lying on the floor of the unit. Source: 3news.com|Ghana Follow @3Newsgh]]>