Water Corporation Disconnects Tema Hospital

Tema (Greater Accra), 5 Sept., The Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC) has, since the last three days, disconnected water supply to the Tema General hospital for failing to settle its arrears totaling 114 million cedis. Mrs. Milicent Sarpong Principal Nursing Officer, told the GNA today that the disconnection is creating serious problems for the hospital which has 124 patients on admission. Mrs. Sarpong said cases that need theatre operation are being referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital while relatives of patients who come to deliver are told to bring water from their homes. She said water is collected in drums and buckets for use in some of the wards and other departments. Mrs. Sarpong, said the hospital could pay about five million cedis by next week to enable its management to meet GWSC to reconnect the hospital. In another interview, Mr. George Akorlor, Commercial Manager of GWSC, pointed out that they had to take ''this painful decision to disconnect'' the hospital because the authorities have never paid anything since the utility service was decentralised at the end of 1995. Mr. Akorlor explained that his department had, since the past three months, held series of meetings with the hospital management but they do not seem to be interested. "We have given them very soft terms to settle their bills but they look adamant", adding "we know that they render service to humanity so we cannot pressurise them like we do to our commercial customers". Meanwhile, the Tema Municipal Assembly, has sent a delegation to meet the hospital management and GWSC to find an amicable solution to the crisis, Mr. Emmanuel Ofoe, Coordinating Director, told GNA.