A three old baby has been reported dead after power cut (dumsor) at the Tema General Hospital on Tuesday, March 26.
The power cut affected the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and other departments of the hospital which were not on generator whereas other department were relying on the facility’s generator during the power cut.
Ramatu, the 24-year-old mother of the deceased baby in an interview with TV3 said doctors told her she lost her baby due to the power cut.
“I was supposed to go and visit my baby around 4 am this morning [Wednesday] so when I went there, I could not find my baby and the doctor told me to wait outside so I was outside and he came that they are sorry because I have lost my child due to the light out last night [Tuesday Night],” she told TV3’s Joseph Armstrong Gold Alorgbey.
A 24-year-old mother is blaming the Tema General Hospital for the death of her child during the intermittent power outage.
However, the hospital has denied the claim, indicating that they have an automatic standby generator.#TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/T18bOvXBQr
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) March 28, 2024
The Administrator of the Tema General Hospital, Apostle Dr. Samuel Obeng Mensah who declined to speak on camera said he is yet to be briefed about the death of a baby due to the power cut.
However, he confirmed that there are not enough generators to supply power to the entire hospital during light out.
There have been erratic power cut across the country recently. Due to this, many Ghanaians including the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission has demanded a load-shedding timetable.
However, during the inauguration of the NPP campaign team in the Ashanti Region, Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh challenged those advocating for a load-shedding timetable to present their own proposed schedules.
‘No lives were lost due to Tuesday’s power outage’ – Tema General Hospital
He encouraged critics to develop their own timetables if they deemed it necessary.
“Let those who want the timetable bring it. I don’t know of any timetable because the ECG has said it is not necessary. Why would someone just wish evil for the country?” he asked.
“I have assured you that we are committed to addressing this issue, and it’s not an instant fix. It’s a gradual process,” he emphasized on government’s intention to fix the erratic power cut.