Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee and MP for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, clashed with officers at the Department of Surgery at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital during a surprise visit to inspect broken lifts.
His visit followed the suspension of elective surgeries due to the malfunctioning lifts.
Last week, the Hospital’s management issued a memo to the staff of the Surgical Department, announcing the suspension of elective surgeries and the temporary relocation of emergency cases.
The memo explained that the lifts used to transport patients within the surgical tower were out of service, severely hindering the hospital’s ability to perform surgeries as usual.
“Given the current situation, we have decided to suspend all elective surgeries until further notice. During this period, we will focus solely on emergency cases to ensure that critical care is not compromised,” the hospital’s statement read.
However, the visit by Hon. Akandoh was met with resistance from the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the department, who questioned the MP’s authority to inspect the facility without prior permission.
This disagreement led to a heated exchange between the two parties.
Speaking to the media after confirming that the elevators were indeed non-functional, Hon. Akandoh expressed outrage, calling the situation unacceptable and a dereliction of duty.
“What happens to routine maintenance in this country? You wait until all the lifts at the department are broken down and then tell people not to come for the healthcare they need,” he criticized.
Responding to the PRO’s challenge, Hon. Akandoh emphasized that as a Parliamentarian and the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, he does not require permission to visit health facilities, especially to inspect malfunctioning equipment.
The MP issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government and the Minister of Health, demanding immediate action to resolve the situation.
He stressed that the indefinite suspension of elective surgeries is unacceptable and called the Health Minister to inform Ghanaians of the timeline for fixing the lifts.
“We cannot accept an indefinite suspension of elective surgeries. The government must take responsibility, and within the next 24 hours, they must tell us when these lifts at the Korle Bu Surgery Department will be fixed,” he stated.
In its earlier statement, Korle Bu’s management assured that the process of replacing one lift and refurbishing the other was already in progress, with the procurement process underway.
It indicates everything possible is being done to expedite the repairs and minimize the disruption to patient care.
Source:thenewsbulletin24.com