A deputy Attorney General and MP for Tempane, Hon. Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, in Parliament on Tuesday, in an emotional mood shared how he lost his wife in 2016 as a result of the ‘no bed syndrome’.
Kpemka with a heavy heart narrated how she took her wife around various public hospitals in Accra, including the Korle By Teaching Hospital, but were turned away because there was no bed.
“Mr. Speaker, for seven good hours, we went round the entire city in search of a hospital to treat my wife who was sick. After seven hours, I managed to get the contact of the Director of the Ridge Hospital and after some few calls, finally, he got me a bed. Unfortunately, my wife died the following day”, he noted.
The Deputy Minister shared his story while commenting on an age old problem in Ghana’s health sector known as the ‘no bed syndrome’ which has been brought to the fore once again following the death a 70-year-old after he was turned away by seven different hospitals in Accra for lack of beds.
Prince Anthony Opoku Acheampong, the CEO of Printhony Printing Press in Adabraka, a suburb of Accra finally died in his car at the LEKMA Hospital after he was turned away from the Adabraka branch of C&J Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Ridge hospital.
The other hospitals he was turned away from include the Police Hospital, the Trust Hospital and finally the LEKMA hospital.
The son of the deceased, Obiri Yeboah took to social media at the weekend to share the sad events leading to his father’s death.
Speaking on Morning Starr, Mr. Yeboah said they begged the doctor at the LEKMA hospital for several minutes just to administer first aid to his father but the doctor consistently said “there is nothing I can do” without even assessing the status of the patient.
But the Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Frank Serebuor says per the account given by the family, the facilities committed some procedural errors and must be questioned.
“Whatever facility that turned the patient away should be made to answer and tell us into detail why that happened and question them whether they had alternatives and what could have been done,” Dr. Serebour said.
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