The Outpatient Department, OPD, of the Police Hospital in Accra, is being flooded with patients as government doctors’ strike over conditions of service, continues with the suspension of OPD services in major health facilities across the country.
TV3’s Sandra Amarquaye, reported from the Police Hospital Monday morning, that as at 10:00am, the OPD had about 120 patients.
According to officials of the hospital, the number is high and could be more in the coming days.
They however noted that they are yet to receive any referral case.
Some patients who spoke to Sandra Amarquaye say they were there as early as 6:00am but were yet to be attended to as at 10:00am.
“There are currently only three doctors on duty and so it looks like the ratio will be one doctor to 40 patients. The nurses tell me there are no referral cases yet but their problem is that they have only one bed now for referrals so they will just try to manage the situation. The place is crowded now” Sandra Amarquaye noted.
Doctors on Thursday, July 30 began the implementation of a roadmap to get government to engage them with conditions of service.
According to them, the current engagement does not merit a proper condition of service.
They thus announced the withdrawal of out-patient department (OPD) services from all public health facilities, threatening to withdraw emergency services from Friday, August 7 if government does not reach an agreement with them over their demands.
NHIS directive
Meanwhile the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, is asking its subscribers to seek healthcare elsewhere since the situation is equally affecting them.
The NHIA in a statement asked all subscribers who may be turned away from the public health facilities to visit the over 1,000 NHIS-credentialed private and faith-based hospitals and clinics to access healthcare services.
“NHIS cardholders may also access healthcare at the 37 Military and Police Hospitals in Accra and the many health centres and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds across the country. This arrangement is to ensure that subscribers of the NHIS continue to access healthcare services while the Ghana Medical Association (GMA)’s negotiations with government and strike persist” the statement noted.
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/3news.com/Ghana