Establish special accident emergency centre at Winneba - Doctor

Winneba (C/R), Jan. 24, GNA-The Medical Superintendent In-Charge of the Winneba Government Hospital, Dr. Hercules O. France, has called for the establishment of a special accident and emergency health care centre at the hospital to handle victims of the numerous road accidents that occur on Apam-Junction-Kasoa, and the Winneba-Agona Swedru trunk roads annually. The centre, when established would help save the lives of thousands of unfortunate travellers from within and outside Ghana, who might be victims of such fatal road accidents in the area, Dr. France added.

Dr. France was commenting on the rampant fatal road accidents that occur on the Cape Coast-Accra Trunk Road, especially between the Apam Junction and Kasoa stretch of the road annually. He said, apart from the unexpected stress such accidents placed on the few medical officers operating at the Winneba Government Hospital, the most disturbing aspect of such situations was that some accident victims whose lives could have been saved at the Hospital, died while being conveyed to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Dr. France recalled the May 11 fatal accident at Gomoa-Okyereko, near Winneba Junction, that claimed 41 lives, the highest in the country's history and the subsequent ones that followed, and expressed the hope that Government should take a serious view of the suggestion for the establishment of a special accident centre at the hospital. He said last year saw remarkable improvement in the health delivery services at the Winneba Government Hospital, adding that the services of the facility nearly doubled. Dr France attributed this achievement partly to the "excellent performance" of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (AESDMHIS) and advised workers of the scheme to keep the spirit up to achieve more fruitful results this year.

The Medical Superintendent praised the resilience, commitment and devotion to duty coupled with the hard work of the overburdened staff of the hospital. Dr France disclosed that currently, over 70 percent of the hospital's patients who access health care daily are health insurance card bearers.