Non-availability of electricity impedes healthcare at Apowa Health centre

Nurses at a newly constructed maternity block of the Apowa Health Centre in the Western Region are using candles and lanterns to help pregnant women to deliver due to unavailability of electricity at the facility.

Some nurses had complained that the situation could create difficulty for them in the discharge of their duties explaining that the use of naked fire could result in fire outbreak.

They made an urgent appeal to the authorities of the District Health Directorate, District Assembly and other stakeholders, to expedite action in connecting power to the facility.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) contacted Dr. Kofi Sutherland, District Health Director (DHD) for Ahanta West on Tuesday, he said his outfit had taken steps to install electricity to the facility.

He said he had asked the District Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to prepare estimate for electricity connection to the facility about five months ago, but had not received any response.

Dr. Sutherland added that he was much concerned about quality healthcare delivery in the district and would pursue the matter to its logical conclusion. When contacted on telephone, Mr. Justice Annan, District Manager of ECG, admitted he had been contacted for estimate for the project and explained that he had just resumed from leave.

He pledged to furnish the District Health Directorate with the estimate for the project by the end of this week.

People in the region had been grappling with quality healthcare due to poor health infrastructure leading to avoidable deaths.**