Electricity Power Crisis Forcing Krobo Hospitals To Send Patients Away.

Doctors at the two leading hospitals in the Krobo area, Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Health Directorates say they have been forced to refuse and reject emergency cases because of the current power cuts to the area.

The two districts have been without power since July 27 amid a dispute over the installation of prepaid meters which has affected power supply to the hospital though it was not supposed affect medical facilities.

The Yilo Krobo Municipal Directorate says the power cuts has caused the relocation of municipal Cold Chain Equipment, which includes vaccine fridges and freezers for ice packs.

Meanwhile the directorate is also spending GH¢500 a day to power a generator in order to attend to some patients.

“Ongoing COVID-19 vaccination is also affected as a result vaccination teams, district and sub-district supervisors are not able to charge their mobile phones and tablets, therefore not been able to enter data and monitoring/supervisory reports,” the statement said.

The district hospital has spent GH¢10,975 to power its diesel generator so far, according to the statement.

“The hospital is barely three months old with very little capital and a host of challenges.”

According to Somanya polyclinic, the only generator plant “which was donated by ECG to Somanya polyclinic has been taken back without any explanation from ECG and therefore the facility has no alternative source of power.”

“The power outage has affected all aspects of clinical and public health care in the facility. The most affected areas are maternity units, laboratory services, in-patients, vaccine fridges and administration.”

The hospital says  they can no longer bear the high cost of fuel needed to power the generators.

They are appealing to the government and management of ECG to urgently restore electric power.