Health workers including Doctors Anaesthetists, Nurses, Midwives, Laboratory scientists, and Pharmacists in Atua Government Hospital, St Martins Hospital, Yilo District hospital, Somanya polyclinic, health centers, and various CHPs Compounds have served notice to withdraw night services over insecurity as a result of the power outage in Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) switched off the power supply to Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo municipalities in the Eastern region on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, over tempering its transformers by agitating residents.
The health workers argue that “the darkness we’re plunged into has given room to some criminals and hooligans to rob, harass, and ill-treat some of the health workers who lived in hard-to-reach areas. A Nurse got robbed in the dark after closing from an afternoon shift and walking home. Another got chased on her way home. To avoid these and promote our security, we might be forced to avoid the dark hours (4:00pm – 7:00am). This will mean there will be no night health services. We shall avail ourselves at the hospitals’ premises from 8:00am to 4:00pm. We hope ECG, the Chiefs, political leaders, national security, and the various stakeholders in this impasse find an amicable solution to this problem as early as possible” Anaesthetist Miletso spokesperson for the health workers said.
Yilo and Manya Krobo Health Directorates warn of health emergency
The comment by the health workers comes after the management of the Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Health Directorates in a joint statement issued on August 1, 2022, warned of a public health emergency if power is not restored to their districts immediately.
The health directorates said the power outage is seriously affecting clinical services in hospitals in the municipalities.
For instance, in Yilo Krobo, the power outage has caused the relocation of municipal Cold Chain Equipment, which includes vaccine fridges and freezers for ice packs.
The directorate is also spending GH¢500 a day to power a generator.
“Ongoing COVID-19 vaccination is also affected as a result vaccination team, district and sub-district supervisors are not able to charge their mobile phones and tablets, therefore not been able to enter data and monitoring/supervisory reports,” the statement said.
The Yilo Krobo District Hospital is barely three months old with very little capital and a host of challenges but forced to spend an unbudgeted amount of GH¢10,975 to power its diesel generator, according to the statement.
At the Somanya polyclinic, the directorates also said the only generator plant “which was donated by ECG to Somanya polyclinic has been taken back without any explanation by ECG, and therefore the facility has no alternative source of power.”
“The power outage has affected all aspects of clinical and public health care in the facility. The most affected areas are maternity units, laboratory services, in-patients, vaccine fridges, and administration.”
Atua and St. Martins Depores Hospitals spend GHc3,000.00 and Ghc5,000.00 respectively every day on fuel to power generators.
The directorates say it cannot sustain the high cost of fueling generators at the various hospitals forewarning that “we may not be able to sustain it to provide the quality health care services as expected.” therefore appealing to the government and management of ECG to restore electric power supply to all health facilities within the affected areas “in the shortest possible time to avert a possible public health emergency.”
ECG
According to the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, the outage was done based on safety reasons after some persons tempered with its transformers.
ECG says its network is interlinked therefore was not sure of the integrity of the network and the extent of interference hence safety became a paramount issue and that necessitated the shutdown of the feeders of the Bulk Supply Point plugging the municipalities into darkness.
ECG is hopeful power will be restored soon as stakeholders meet to discuss and seek resolutions, especially for the safety of the lives of ECG staff.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
