Uncompleted building affects healthcare delivery at Kaneshie Polyclinic

Since its establishment in 1966 by the Swedish government, Ghana’s oldest polyclinic has not received any significant up-scaling or refurbishment, a situation the medical director in charge of the clinic described as worrying.

Kaneshie Polyclinic is a 24-hour polyclinic which receives about 500 patients daily, excluding pregnant women with just 35 admittance capacity.

The health facility which serves the medical needs of a population of 373,239 people in the Okaikoi Sub-Metro area is heavily congested with many patients being referred to other hospitals due to lack of space.

A multipurpose building project which was initiated in 2004 to ease the burden on the old structure has stalled for the past 13 years and management is pleading with government to continue the project or hand it over to management to continue.

“The uncompleted structure has space for theatres, a dental unit, recovery wards, consulting rooms, and eye and ear clinics. It has, however, gathered dirt and garbage, with moss covering its floors, paving the way for rodents, insects, and reptiles to take over.” He said.

Speaking exclusively to GhanaWeb, Medical Director of the polyclinic, Dr. Patrick Amo-Mensah, who made the appeal on behalf of the management noted that the urgent completion of the abandoned building which began in 2014 would ease congestion at the overstretched facility.

”I believe when the building is completed and the theatres are operational, pressure on nearby facilities such as Korle Bu and the Greater Accra Regional hospital, where patients are referred, will reduce,” he added.

Dr. Amo-Mensah further revealed, the health increasing demand on the clinic is overwhelming adding that management is prepared to fund the project in the clinics internally generated fund if government relinquishes to project to management.