Covid-19: Korle Bu Teaching Hospital suspends non-emergency surgeries

The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has announced the suspension of non-emergency surgical cases for the next two weeks.

According to the Hospital, the move has been necessitated by the fact that some staff of the hospital have been infected with Covid-19, and the two-week suspension is to protect clients and the rest of staff who are still at post and providing care to patients.

“The suspension will also enable us reorganize ourselves for the resumption of regular services. Only dire emergencies will be attended to within this period”, a statement issued by Mustapha Salifu, Head of Public Relations at Korle Bu said.

The statement asked other health facilities “to refer only dire surgiacla emergencies (Surgery, ENT, Maxillofacial and Obstetrics) to Korle Bu during the suspension period.”

Graphic Online understands that there has been a recent surge of Covid-19 infections among staff of the hospital engaged in surgicals, which situation has also forced the self-isolation of majority of the staff.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) wants a review of the country’s strategy for combating the COVID-19 in order to arrest the alarming rate at which the disease is spreading in the country.

According to the Association, the increasing numbers was having a heavy toll on its already overstretched members.

The GMA has so far lost three of its members to the Coronavirus disease, namely; Dr Richard Kisser, a Consultant Surgeon at the Trust Hospital; Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, the Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons; and Dr Harry Owusu Boateng, the Medical Director of the Kwadaso SDA Hospital.

According to the GMA, 150 doctors have so far been infected.