The dying Gushegu Hospital ; Medical Supritendent calls for urgent support, urges residents to bear with them

Authorities at the Gushegu Municipality hospital have called on the Ghana health service and the ministry of health to turn their attention to it before things get worse.

The authorities while calling for urgent attention by the government made patianate appeal to residents to bear with them if they are not able to provide the needed health care service.

The current state of the hospital according to some staff can be discribed heading towards  collapse.

Most of the medical equipment installed 10 years ago siezed functioning.

Some of the critical equipment have reached its its lifespan  have all been  broken down leaving health workers to struggle on daily bases to provide health care amidst accusations  from residents.

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The GH¢24 million facility equipped is with a mortuary, two operating suites, and maternity, pediatrics, male and female wards was inaugurated by  the late  Health Minister under president John Agyakum Kufuor, Major Courage Quashigah (retd) on 24th July, 2008.

Its multi-purpose laboratory  has no  functioning  analyzer.

The few equipment left according to the head of the laboratory, Mr  Ben Niigben were outdated and needs calibration.
The company that built the hospital he explained installed equipment which the Biomedical engineers at the regional health Directorate cannot fixed anytime it developed fault.

Full Blood Count (FBC) test, the most commonest tests  any Municipal health facility should be able  to do, can’t be done in the hospital, Mr Niigben lamented.

Patients traveles to Tamale about 105 kilometers from Gushegu for  ( Lft) liver function test and (RFT), Ranal function test.

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Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Bashiru Abdul Majeed who conducted Zaa News round various units said the staff are doing their best under circumstances.

Most of the equipment installed by the contractors of the facility were analog which very
difficult repairing ones it breaks down.

He cited analog x-ray machines which has  seized functioning because  it is very difficult to get consumables to run an analog in this digital age.

Apart consumables being expensive,  it is very difficult to come by. Dr Bashiru appealed for
assistance to get component that will convert their analog machines it to a digital.

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Patients from Gushegu and Karaga will have to district traveled to either Yendi or Tamale for service the facility could have offered.

The facility, Dr said Bashiru needs an ultra sound machine to enable doctors made quick decisions of patients.
The utral sound machine installed a decade ago has broken down compelling authorities to procured a smaller one which  is unable to provide the needed services to residents in Gushegu and other districts.
He emphasized importance of ultra sound machine to assess pregnant women conditions.

An additional machine Dr Bashiru said will enable them to carry out outreach to sub-districts who are sending patients to Gushegu hospital.

An  Anesthesia machine Dr Bashiru lamented is currently functioning particially which is a big worry to management.

Oxygen delivery system   he added  no longer   functioning.
The few functioning equipment according to the medical Supritendent breaks down almost everyday due to frequent power flatuations.

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The hospital mortuary which has the capacity of preserving  10 bodies at a time fridges  not been working for months  now.

Residents of Gushegu and its environs have consistently complain about non availability of some basic  drugs such paracetamol in the hospital and have accused authorities of sleeping on their job.

Paramount chief of Gushegu traditional area, Naa Yab Na Abdulai Mahamudu Shitobu on Thursday July 17,2020 expressed worried about complaints of people on poor service they received.
He was particularly not happy about lack of essential drugs and the breakdown of the hospital’s mortuary.

But the medical Supritendent,  told Zaa News they though their  concerns were guinue, authorities can’t be balme on the situation because the facility like others  in the country receives medicine from regional medical stores.

He explained that the  framework policy system in place now do not create  room for facilities to purchase drugs outside even if medical stores run out of stock.

The framework Dr Bashiru said has some  54 essential drugs  list which includes paracetamol and no government health facility can purchase a single drug outside.

Dr Bashiru  put part of the blame on delay on National Health Insurance (NHIS) payment describing it as  a big problem which is affecting health care delivery.

‘Sometimes we run shot of supply and they are not able to meet request and patients would have to go outside and buy’, Dr Bashiru stated.

He acknowledged that the government has made some payments to  eased the non availability of drugs.

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The was hospital is accredited for training of house officers but it has only one medical doctor with 4 medical assistance with nurses trying their best.

In the view of the Dr Bashiru, the only way to meet and address the challenges for the people of Gushegu is for the government through the ministry of health to look for the contractors of the facility to carry out a complete rehabilitation.