Discipline, law & order breaks up at KATH

Investigations by this newspaper in the wake of the inability of the authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to produce even the body of newly born baby in the unlikely event that he died at birth and the avoidable death of one Solomon Mensah because a surgeon of the hospital, Dr. Adam Gyedu, refused to operate on him indicates that the two incidents are just a tip of the iceberg of the rot at the referral hospital because disciple, law and order has broken down there.

This paper’s investigations was carried out at the surgery department where the death of Solomon Mensah, a patient with strangulated Inguinal hernia, a dire surgical emergency, passed away because Dr. Gyedu refused to operate on him.

So much has discipline, law and order broken down here that many surgeries eventually fail to take place simply because there is either no theater space, no linen, suction, diathermy, recovery ward space, trolley or because the labourer on duty is sick.

The case is often beyond the capabilities of the nurse anesthetists so surgeons have to wait for the doctor Anesthetists on duty to turn up. Most of these doctors Anesthetists are often absent at the hospital so a surgeon has to wait several hours for them to turn up for surgery to take place. Often when they show up, it is to give some incomprehensible instructions to an already confuse nurse Anesthetists and go back to where they came from.

‘Daily Post’ investigations revealed that some of these doctor Anesthetists are on the pay roll of some private hospitals. That is where they spend most of their times. A surgeon therefore has to wait for several hours before a patient is brought for surgery by an incorrigible staffer of the Accident & Emergency Department of the hospital.