Congestion at Police Hospital as OPD and Emergency Units get jam-packed

There is congestion currently at the Ghana Police Hospital in Accra and doctors are now forced to attend to emergency cases at the Out-Patients Department (OPD).

The OPD, originally built as the main reception of the hospital and the gateway to the wards, now serves as an Emergency Center and the referral point to and from other nearby health facilities since there is no other space for such operations.

Our investigations into the workings of the hospital has revealed that, the facility is overwhelmed with unknown accident victims and other severe cases brought from far and near, aggravating the problem.

It is clear that the overcrowded OPD needs urgent attention in order to stabilize or monitor patients closely, this is according information from an insider who prefer not to be named.

Anoter staff who spoke to this reporter on conditions of anonymity said, “current structures at the hospital are dilapidated and needs constant repairs for smooth delivery of health services”.

The Police hospital was originally constructed to cater for police officers and their dependents only but demand for health services by the rest of the public which is growing day by day has put excessive pressure on the limited space.

It is estimated that, about 80% of patients who visit the Police Hospital daily are from the general public with an average monthly attendance of 8,000 patients haven to share the available 130 beds, our informant disclosed.

Another major challenge of the hospital is the directive to extend health services to the rest of the five regions for the benefit of police personnel and their dependents plus the general public.

The Police currently has 11 Regional Police Clinics providing only primary healthcare in limited infrastructure especially for newly created Regions like Oti….and others

The OPD, in Accra consists of a reception desk, four consulting rooms, dressing and injection room. Other facilities include two observation rooms with a bed capacity of nine, an isolation room and resuscitation room as well as P.O.P room.

The Ghana Police Hospital was established in 1976 with the primary function of providing quality healthcare to members of the Service and their families as well as the general public. The administration consists of an Administrator, Director of Nursing Services, Director of Finance, Director of Audit and a Public Affairs Officer.

The hospital in its present state operates under the following departments and units:
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which takes care of patients in critical conditions.
The Health Insurance Registration Center and Health Insurance Claims Office which handles health insurance issues in the hospital.
The Records Department (divided into three units consisting of the main records, antenatal records and the children’s record) which is responsible for the confidential safe keeping of individual folders and cards.
The X–ray laboratory Department also takes care of the various radiologist diagnoses.
The Medical Laboratory handles laboratory tests of all kinds as well as Anesthesia Department for anesthesia services as it provides a 24 hour Anesthesia cover form the hospital and major cases like General Surgery, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Urology and trauma.

The hospital has six wards including the executive, male, female, maternity, children’s and OPD wards.
The Public Health Department handles family planning issues, pre-natal, anti-natal, and post-natal issues. It also has a Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) center for Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
There is a Physiotherapy Department and an Electro Cardio Gram that is used for electro cardiothoracic diagnosis.
In addition, the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T) as well as Dental clinics are all specialized clinics which ran concurrently to assist patients.
The hospital also operates a Dialysis center for patients with renal failure. There is also a Social Service Department (SSD) which collaborates with the social welfare to attend the hospital needs of missing, abandoned as well as victims of rape and defilement.

Meanwhile, a collaboration between the Police Hospital and the International Hospitals Group (IHG) which started about 15 years ago, a move aimed at easing the pressure of the current facility is yet to be completed.

IHG’s contract includes the turnkey design, construction, equipping and commissioning of the Police Hospital comprising a Medical Block to house Accident and Emergency Units; an Imaging Department with MRI and CT, Operating Theatre Block with 3 operating theatres; an Intensive Care Unit with 12 beds; a Central Sterile Stores Department; an Out-Patients Department comprising 11 consulting rooms, 4 pediatric consulting rooms; a Dental Suite; a Dispensary and a three-storey Ward Block providing facilities for inpatients of 104 beds including VIP facilities.

While waiting for the above project to be completed, commissioned and handed over to the Ghana Government for the Ministry of Interior, health workers would have to continue to work under the current conditions while patients struggle to access quick and quality healthcare from the Accra Police Hospital.

Attempts to get officials from the Ministry of Interior especially the Minister who has jurisdiction over the Hospital have proven unsuccessful.

By Edzorna Francis Mensah