Pressure group, OccupyGhana has claimed Ghana’s healthcare system is being overwhelmed as as cases of the novel Coronavirus continue to rise.
Official figures put the current COVID-19 count at 11,964 with 4,258 recoveries and 7,652 active cases with 54 deaths.
According to the group, isolation and treatment centres are having spillover of coronavirus cases forcing health authorities to use emergency and other wards as backup for covid-19 cases.
“Our holding and treatment facilities are running out of space,” the group claimed in a statement Monday, indicating that there are also not have enough critical care beds for persons who contract the virus.
“Hospitals are getting overwhelmed with spill overs of designated areas for suspected and confirmed cases into emergency rooms and wards otherwise not assigned,” it added.
This situation has caused health officials to adopt a “desperate attempt” to create space by reducing the admission days of covid-19 patients.
“[There] is a desperate attempt to shorten hospital stay and increase availability of bed space by discharging patients before the post-treatment test results.
“The unfortunate occurrence, which has led to some being discharged with their repeat tests coming back positive after their discharge. This is disheartening and should not be allowed as we seek to fight this pandemic with professionalism and integrity” the pressure group stated.
It also questioned the lay back in contact tracing and insufficient personal protective equipments causing frontline health workers to contract the virus.
“Contact tracing is not being done at the levels needed anymore. The government must answer allegations that because contact tracers were paid GHS70 instead of the promised GHS150 per day, they have walked out. The result is that there isn’t much contact tracing going on at the moment,” it said.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
