Lawra Municipal Hospital in deplorable state — MP

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Lawra, Mr Bede A. Ziedeng, has expressed concern about the poor state of the Lawra Municipal Hospital and the state of health care in the municipality.

He said for the past few years, there had been numerous complaints from patients about the poor services they received at the facility.

“They receive poor service, though the Lawra Hospital remains the foremost health facility in the municipality,” he said.

Drugs

Presenting a statement on the state of healthcare delivery in the municipality on the floor of Parliament last Tuesday, Mr Ziedeng said the hospital had no drugs to the extent that when prescriptions were made, the only way patients could have their drugs was for them to purchase them from drugstores and pharmacies outside the hospital.

“And this is so for virtually every drug except perhaps for paracetamol. The lack of drugs and other facilities have rendered completely useless the holding of the National Health Insurance cards as the holders are simply told to buy their drugs.

“No laboratory tests can be conducted in the hospital due to the lack of equipment and reagents. So patients are again compelled to access laboratory services from private sources outside the hospital, which services they have to pay for even though they hold NHIA cards which entitle them to free medical services,” he explained.

Oxygen

Mr Ziedeng also noted that there was a shortage of oxygen to undertake surgeries or even support patients who need to be supported with artificial respiration.

“There is also no Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD). The hospital depends on one small and old autoclave, which breaks down frequently. When this happens, the hospital has to fall on Babile Polyclinic for sterilisation of its operation instruments and dressing packs.

Records booklet

Mr Ziedeng said the hospital had also ran out of child health records booklets for pregnant women and children.

He said the residents of the municipality were crying for immediate attention and solutions to the challenges confronting healthcare delivery.

“For now I am appealing to the minister of Health and the government, as a matter of urgency, to come to the aid of the Lawra Municipal Hospital so as to not only give it the dignified status that it deserves but also to enable it give adequate and quality health care to the people of the municipality,” he stated.