Two mothers who reportedly lost their newborns at the Tema General Hospital due to power outages have spoken to the media.
They insist that the loss of their babies was as a result of the power outage despite flat-out denial by the facility that any life was lost during an outage that happened earlier this week.
Two separate videos of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) plunged in darkness angered Ghanaians who critiqued the government over the power supply challenges and its impact on lives.
One mother who spoke to a TV3 journalist said she had been labelled mad for claiming she lost her baby and threatened by some nurses against escalating the claims.
"They've posted on their platform that I am a mad person and I don't know what I am saying... that I am lying that my child is dead but my child is indeed dead.
"They need to apologize but they are now threatening me that I shouldn't say anything that my child is dead," the lady who remained at the facility because of unpaid bill said.
The 24-year-old mother who lost her baby at Tema General Hospital allegedly due to a power outage is demanding an apology from the facility. She also cites that she's being threatened.
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) March 28, 2024
She spoke to Joseph Armstrong.#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/Le1AojEDuV
The other mother was interviewed at her home by GHOne TV.
Her mother recounted the moment she was told the child had died: "The doctor arrived and examined the child before calling me privately and saying lots of things.
"So, I asked her what exactly was the issue and she disclosed that the child was dead. I, however, asked that the child should be left untouched until the mother's father and husband come in because death and life were from God," she stressed.
The sister in interpreting the grieving mother's account added; "she claims nurses laughed at her when she drew attention to the medical tracker of the child's breathing going blank after the blackout."
Family of mother who lost her newborn at Tema General Hospital due to power outage narrate the events leading up to the baby's death and the reaction of nurses when the mother noticed the #Dumsor had caused her child's oxygen supply to cease... #GHOneNews #GHOneTV pic.twitter.com/HRKvlszhFN
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) March 28, 2024
No lives were lost - TGH medical director
The hospital, in a statement dated March 28, flatly denied reports that lives were lost due to the power outages that hit the facility on Tuesday.
The statement signed by the Medical Director, Dr. Richard Anthony explained that the facility indeed experienced power outages that lasted for close to two hours.
“The incident happened on Tuesday, 26th March 2024 when the power from the national grid was interrupted and the facility was relying on its power plant.
“The dedicated generator set to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) tripped off for a short period and the hospital’s electricians worked to restore power to the Unit until the national grid was restored.
“It is worth noting that no lives were lost as a result of this power outage,” the Medical Director added.
Attached below is the full statement.
SARA
