The Tema General Hospital (TGH) fears more pregnant women would die on admission if conditions at its maternity ward is not urgently improved.
Sixteen women has so far died due to pregnancy complications at the TGH between January and April this year, due to the deplorable conditions at the hospital.
Dr Opoku Edusei, the Director of the Tema General Hospital, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview.
Dr Edusei said due to the lack of enough infrastructure and logistics, the maternity was overcrowded.
He said instead of lying on beds, women sit in chairs during labour, contributing to the high maternal mortality and stillbirths recorded at the hospital.
The hospital doesn’t have enough specialists and obstetricians to take care of complicated issues during delivery.
According to the Director, pregnant women who needed surgery also have to queue since there were only three operating tables.
He lamented that it was unfortunate that the construction of a new maternity facility for the hospital had stalled for the past seven years.
Dr Edusei added that, the central theatre, which was shut down to be rebuilt has also been “cannibalised and abandoned”.
He challenged government and stakeholders to stop paying lip service to safe maternity since facts on the ground was disturbing.
