This is how the strike by nurses is having an effect on patients in various areas of Ghana

An 18-year-old man lost his life following the inability of his relations to secure treatment for him at the Tema General Hospital yesterday due to the nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), writes Benjamin Xornam Glover.

The deceased, whose name was not disclosed, had been rushed to the facility from Kpone but could not be attended to as the family met an empty Out- Patients -Department (OPD).

A relative of the deceased, who pleaded anonymity, told the Daily Graphic that she had brought her nephew, who complained of abdominal pains, to the hospital for immediate attention but met an empty OPD on arrival.

Sounding very frustrated and angry, she appealed to the government to address the concerns of the nurses urgently while calling on the striking nurses to reconsider their decision to save Ghanaian citizens who needed their services most.

From Sekondi-Takoradi, George Folley reports that the ongoing strike by nurses is having a toll on patients in the metropolis.

Owing to the situation, most patients have had to return home or seek alternative means of treatment outside the public hospitals.

The Fijai Hospital, which serves communities like Fijai, Effia-Kuma, Kansaworadu and its surrounding areas, was not as busy as it usually is with the OPD being virtually empty.

However, some patients were still hoping that the strike would be called off sooner than later.

Despondency was visibly written on the faces of patients and family members who had accompanied their relatives to the hospital.

The situation was no different at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.

A woman, who gave her name as Afiba Yankey, said her 16-year old child, who was referred to the hospital, was highly disappointed after she was left with no alternative than to return to Axim in the Nzema East Municipality.

Upper West Region

From Wa, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports that an anonymous patient who was not happy about the situation appealed to religious bodies and other stakeholders to intervene to resolve the impasse.

The locked up Emergency Ward of the Wa Municipal Hospital 

As at the time of filing this report, some relatives of out patients were planning to seek medication at private clinics.

The ongoing nurses and midwives strike has left the Wa Municipal Hospital, which used to be the Upper West Regional Hospital, completely deserted, leaving only the administrative staff and some student nurses on rotation.

The atmosphere in the facility showed that most of the residents were aware of the strike, hence they did not bother to seek medical care at the hospital.

The place was a pale shadow of its usual self as the usually buzzing environment was turned into an eerie silence akin to a cemetery.

A visit to the facility by the Daily Graphic revealed an almost empty facility with the Emergency Ward firmly locked with a red banner hanging on the door to indicate to the public that they were on strike.

Ashanti Region

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports from Kumasi that the strike declared by the Ghana National Registered and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has affected health facilities in the Ashanti Region in their quest to deliver medical services to patients.

A visit to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the Suntreso Government Hospital, Kuamsi South Hospital popularly referred to as Agogo hospital and other medical facilities revealed a dire situation as members of the GRNMA had fully complied with the directive by their national executives to abandon the health facilities.

Visit

During a visit by the Daily Graphic team to the facilities, the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) had been locked and closed with not a single nurse at post. The always busy OPDs had been deserted with seats that are always occupied by patients being empty.

Fortunately, at the Suntreso hospital, some patients were spotted in long queues waiting for their turn to see medical officers on duty in their various consulting rooms. A staff of the facility who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the medical officers had, apart from their own roles, added the roles played by nurses in attending to the patients.

KATH situation

At the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), a notice had been posted at vantage points to inform patients and the public of the closure of the OPD unit, which read: “OPD is closed due to nurses’ strike. Please send urgent cases to the accident and emergency unit".

One of the patients, Sandra Boakye, expressed worry that she had been scheduled for a review only to visit the hospital to see the OPD closed.

The Ashanti Regional Assistant Secretary, Ebenezer Acquah, in an interview said the situation in the facilities since the strike was declared showed that members of the GRNMA constituted majority of the workforce in the health sector.

Bono Region

Biiya Mukusah Ali reports from Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, that there were some disruptions in healthcare delivery, including emergency services, at the government health facilities in the region.

The ongoing nurses strike action left several patients stranded as nurses totally vacated their posts, leaving doctors to perform roles meant for nurses.

A visit to some facilities in the Sunyani Municipality saw some doctors performing routine nursing duties, such as checking patients' blood pressure, conducting laboratory investigations, and assisting in emergency and outpatient care.

However, the situation was dire at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH) where the facility serves as a major referral centre in the region.

The absence of nursing staff clearly slowed down some critical healthcare services, compromising quality healthcare delivery in the process.

The Deputy Head of Administration at the STH, Adams Umar Mengu, told the Daily Graphic that the absence of nurses at the facility was seriously affecting healthcare delivery.

Eastern Region

From the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, Haruna Yussif  Wunpini reports that healthcare delivery within the Eastern Region, particularly the New Juaben South and North Municipalities, was suffering from the impact of the industrial action by the GRNMA.

The strike action is negatively affecting some key health facilities such as the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua Polyclinic, SDA Hospital and St. Joseph Orthopaedic Hospital, among others.

A visit to the Eastern Regional Hospital yesterday revealed that no nurse was at post, except only doctors who were attending to patients.

The nurses were supposed to be present to assist the doctors since there were many patients to be catered for at the facility, which is a referral point in the region.

Some of the patients who spoke to Daily Graphic said the situation had impacted negatively on them, some of whom had travelled from distant places for treatment.

Others stated that they were confused; not knowing whether to continue waiting or go home without being treated.

A patient, Esther Gyan from Koforidua, was not happy about the situation and said  she came to the facility as early as 6:30 a.m. only to realise that the nurses would not be available to attend to them.

Northern Region

From Tamale, Mohammed Fugu and Abukari Alhassan Baba report that patients across various hospitals in the Northern Region have been left stranded following the nationwide strike.

When the Daily Graphic visited the Tamale West Hospital, Northern Regional Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), many patients appeared helpless. Only a few nurses from other unions attended to them.