Kpando Marquart Hospital distressed over lack of emergency center

The Margret Marquart Hospital in the Kpando District of the Volta Region is in distress as the facility lacks adequate facilities to contain emergency and other essential services.

The hospital which services attracts patients from several communities in the Volta and Oti Regions risked worse situation should the deadly Coronavirus is recorded as there has not been enough dedicated quarantined Centres.

Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Eric Gyanfi, disclosed this when the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpando Constituency, Hon Della Sowah, visited the facility to access their preparedness to handle the current situation. She also presented Personal Protection Equipments (PPE) against the COVID-19.

Dr Gyanfi said dire consequences await the facility as there was no any preventive and protective equipment provided to the Hospital.

He added that, since the record of the virus in Ghana, no preventive measures has been provided to the Hospital by high authorities as medical staff risk to attend new patients without testing kits nor protective equipment.

According to him, information on the virus has not been taken seriously as he often hears adverts for Herbal products in the media rather than the deadly virus which is sweeping thousands of lives across the globe.

The Hospital which admits not less than ten new patients in a day due to the proximity to other Districts communities also does not have facilities for caretakers of patients, especially pregnant women and children.

Member of Parliament for Kpando, Della Sowah, was at the hospital as part of her social intervention policies in the constituency and presented boxes of medical items as well as antiseptic liquid soap, hand sanitizers, Veronica buckets, among others.

She said the reason for making the donation to the Hospital was to help reduce the risk of transmission of the Coronavirus.

According to her, the health facility is one of those health centres that have a large number of residents seeking healthcare, especially pregnant women and the aged, hence the donation.

Using methods ranging from simple hand-wiping with antiseptic liquid soaps, sanitizers, among others, Hon Della Sowah said is the common way to halt the transfer of the virus by touch.

She charged residents of the constituency to take note of the measures by washing their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-containing antiseptic solution.

Additionally, people are advised to keep a distance of approximately one meter from the interlocutors with signs of the disease and as well try not to touch their eyes, lips, and nose with their hands as the virus could penetrate through the mucous membranes.

She used the opportunity to call on the government to release the $100 million fund to support the deprived hospitals to help fight the deadly Coronavirus.

Mr Emmanuel Tordi Hanson, Administrator of the Hospital expressed gratitude to the MP for remembering the people at the difficulties time and promised to use them for the purpose intended.

He, however, appealed to other stakeholders to emulate same to help in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus which has been globally described as a pandemic.

As part of protective measures, people are advised to keep a distance of approximately one meter from the interlocutors with signs of the disease and as well try not to touch their eyes, lips, and nose with their hands as the virus could penetrate through the mucous membranes.

The COVID-19 which was first recorded in Wuhan China and spread out the world has claimed thousands of lives and dozens of people infected still in hospitals and other treatment centres.

Though the virus originated in China, Italy is the worse affected country across the world. The number of recorded deaths there recently overtook those in China.

Italy initial reported 651 coronavirus deaths and saw its toll for the past month reach 5,476, the highest in the world.

Since the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus, Ghana has recorded about 68 confirmed cases, out of which three are reportedly dead as at Wednesday, March 25, 2020.