‘Inadequate’ 28-bed maternity ward serves over 400,000 people at Manhyia Hospital

The Manhyia Government Hospital in the Ashanti Region is bedevilled with inadequate space at the maternity ward, which is negatively affecting health care delivery.

When the number of women in labour is at its peak, management says, they have no option but to be compelled to allow some nursing mothers and their babies sleep on mattresses on the floor.

Although the hospital, according to management, has enough beds, the maternity ward cannot occupy the beds due to limited space.

Mrs Rose Amanfo, the administrator at the hospital told Kumasi FM's Elisha Adarkwah that the hospital has only a 28-bed capacity maternity ward to take care of the catchment area population of 424,552.

Being a referral centre, she said, all the 28 beds in the maternity ward in addition to the alternative wards sometimes become full.

They also have to refer some of the women in labour but they refuse to go and insist on delivering at the hospital.

Mrs Amanfo said a total of 3,876 pregnant women delivered at the hospital last year 2020 while the Antenatal Care (ANC) attendance was 43,444.

Although she said, the hospital has all the specialists to deliver quality health care, they are challenged in the area of space at the maternity ward.

The hospital, she said, has designed and intended to extend the maternity ward but they are confronted with funding to undertake the expansion.

Although she said, some philanthropists expressed interest in supporting, due to the coronavirus, they have not been able to come to their aid.

She, therefore, called for intervention from philanthropists and other corporate organisations to come to the aid of the hospital.