Toll-free lines can solve ‘no bed syndrome’ - MP

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku constituency, Dr Okoe Boye, has called for effective monitoring of health facilities to enable the public to access emergency health services.

He made the call following the demise of a 70-year old man, Mr Prince Anthony Opoku Acheampong, who died in his car at the LEKMA Hospital at Teshie after being turned away by seven hospitals for lack of beds.

Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, at whose constituency the man died, told journalists during an inspection of work on a 7.5-kilometre road at Teshie on Tuesday that, toll-free numbers would create linkage among health facilities and enable individuals with emergency health conditions to be connected to health facilities for treatment.

Dr Okoe Boye, a medical practitioner by profession said he had been championing the establishment of toll-free numbers by the Health Ministry in Parliament and believed it would yield the needed result.

‘‘We need toll free numbers similar to that of the Fire Service, the Police Service, the Ambulance Service and the rest so that if anyone needs emergency health service, he or she can call, especially when the person has been turned away by a health facility so that this no-bed syndrome will stop,’’ he suggested.

Dr Okoe Boye described the death of the late Acheampon as unfortunate, noting that there was high time health workers put up ‘‘good attitude’’ in order to stop such needless deaths.

He said the bad attitudes of some health workers had created a bad image for those working in the various health facilities and it was about time the Health Ministry ensured effective monitoring to bring perpetrators to book.

Commenting on the road stretching from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre to the main Spintex Road Junction that had stalled for almost two years, Dr Okoe Boye commended the government for the determination to complete the project.

He said the road served about one million residents in the eastern part of Accra and connected four constituencies and a referral hospital (LEKMA) Hospital.

The MP said he would continue monitoring the construction work and make sure that the contractor was paid on time to avert any delays.

The 7.5-kilometre dual carriage road stretching from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre to the main Spintex Road Junction stalled for almost two years due to non-payment of the contractor by the previous government.

The current government has paid GHc16 million out of the GHc35 million outstanding debts owed the contractor, Malin Investment Company Limited.

The contract for the road project was signed between the contractor and the government on July 5, 2015, and work began on July 7, at the cost of GHc62 million, and was expected to be completed within 24 months.

However, work on the project stalled in 2017 due to non-payment of work done by the contractor by the previous administration.

The Minister who was there to inspect the progress of work assured the contractor that regular payment would be made, in order to complete the work on schedule and charged the contractor to re-mobilise and resume work latest on Monday, June 18, to complete one carriageway of the road in the next couple of months.

He noted that the stretch was one of the strategic road networks the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government had set out to complete within the stipulated duration as part of efforts to enhancing socio-economic activities of the people.