Health facilities along the Kumasi-Bosomtwe road are sounding the alarm over the deteriorating state of the road, warning that the deplorable conditions are directly endangering the lives of patients and compromising healthcare delivery in the area.
St. Michael’s Hospital, a primary hospital located in Pramso in the Ashanti Region, is among the worst affected. The facility, which serves the Bosomtwe District and its surrounding communities, has borne the brunt of the road’s poor condition for years.
Head of Procurement at the hospital, Dr Jacob Kuutuome, speaking on Luv in the Morning, highlighted the daily challenges confronting both staff and patients.
He cited the difficulty patients face in reaching the facility as a major deterrent. “It is affecting our clients. Those who used to travel from Atonsu to this place can no longer come,” he said.
Beyond accessibility, the hospital is also struggling with the financial burden of maintaining medical equipment damaged by pervasive dust from the unpaved road.
Dr Kuutuome disclosed that the affected machines, which range in cost from GH¢18,000 to GH¢46,000 are prone to malfunction, with potentially fatal consequences.
“These are machines that have sensors that are supposed to monitor patients. Once the sensors are damaged by dust, we keep buying. If you take an x-ray machine, depending on the model, you can buy it from 18,000 to 46,000,” he noted.
He said that as part of efforts to shield patients from the hazardous dust, hospital management has resorted to placing patients on nose masks, underscoring the severity of the situation.
“You come to our emergency ward and the main ward, where we have patients there, it is an eyesore. Sometimes some of them have to be put on nose mask because the dust is unbearable,” he added.
Dr Kuutuome also emphasised the impact on maternal health. He revealed that the condition of the road has been so dire that some pregnant women have been forced to give birth in vehicles before reaching the hospital.
Dr Kuutuome noted that despite repeated engagements with stakeholders under both the previous and current administrations, the hospital is yet to receive any concrete intervention.
“Management has engaged a lot of stakeholders in the past government and the current government, and the assurance is that they will come and do it. But as to when, we don’t know,” he said.
He however, acknowledged a gesture of goodwill from the District Chief Executive (DCE), who at one point resorted to watering the road to suppress the dust, though the effort was eventually halted due to lack of funds.
“We must commend the DCE because at some point he was watering the road, but at some point he ran out of money,” he explained.
Residents, health workers and investors in the area continue to call on the government to prioritise the rehabilitation of the road as a matter of urgency.
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