The gun violence that has stained this country’s landscape in recent times is straining the already limited resources of the country’s main medical institution.
Minister of Health, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic told the media the gun related incidents – which have claimed 19 lives since the beginning of the year – is impacting heavily on the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
“It is not only a case of the murders, but in particular gunshot wounds, because those require a lot more attention at the Accident and Emergency section of the QEH. It is having a serious impact and it is something that is creating some serious challenges for the team there, but they have been working flat out and I commend them for that,” he said.
Speaking at the Accra Beach Hotel on Monday, he told reporters that the A&E has also encountered several hiccups in the planned expansion of this department.
“With regards to the physical expansion of the A&E, we have had some challenges there. For example, the architect who was dealing with the project resigned and architecture and engineering within a hospital or any medical facility setting is not the same as the average building that you are constructing. It is very specialised. So there was some setback and we are at the stage now where we have a team together that is looking at one or two alternatives to what we wanted to do,” Bostic said.
While remaining upbeat this work would soon begin, he noted that in the interim, several initiatives were implemented by the hospital’s board and management to take the pressure off the A&E.
“I am speaking for example of the Minor Cases Unit and the establishment of a second triage station, which is the station where you can be assessed and the severity of your situation determined. So if you are non-emergency, they refer you to the Minor Cases Unit, where the wait time is far less than what you would normally spend. The A&E is an emergency facility so if you have a mass casualty situation or you have someone coming in with a gunshot wound, they are given the priority. Also, there is a Short Stay Unit; so if, for example, you have been prescribed with medication or you are waiting on results of an x-ray or something, instead of having you accommodated at A&E, which means you are taking up bed space, you will go to that...unit until you can be assessed,” he noted. (JMB)