President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Frank Serebour is urging for an immediate probe into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of an infant at the Tema Government Hospital.
The incident has sparked conflicting explanations, with concerns raised about the reliability of the hospital’s systems.
Speaking in an interview on Bresosem at Abusua965FM, Dr. Serebour expressed skepticism regarding claims attributing the baby’s death to a power outage.
He emphasized that it would be challenging to verify such assertions, particularly regarding the alleged interruption of oxygen supply.
“I am surprised to hear reports of a patient’s demise due to oxygen supply being cut off during power outages. I find it difficult to accept,” Dr. Serebour stated, questioning the suggestion that the hospital lacked oxygen cylinders independent of electricity.
He clarified that hospitals typically use backup cylinders during emergencies or power failures, as seen in his own facility, the Bekwai Government Hospital.
Dr. Serebour underlined the importance of these cylinders for critical cases requiring oxygen support.
Contrary to speculation, he explained that the cessation of monitors displaying zero readings does not directly cause patient fatalities.
However, he noted that extended power outages, especially for patients on ventilators, could lead to life-threatening situations.
While acknowledging that the specific circumstances of this tragic event warrant thorough investigation, Dr. Serebour cautioned against hastily attributing the baby’s death solely to the power outage.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive examination of the hospital’s systems to determine the actual cause.
Rashida Abubakar Tetteh, the troubled mother of a three-day-old baby, has spoken out about the tragic loss of her child allegedly due to a power outage at the Tema General Hospital on the evening of Tuesday, March 26.
The 24-year-old mother, currently admitted to the Post C-S ward of the hospital, recounted her heartbreaking experience during an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem on Thursday, March 28.
She revealed that, when she went to see her newborn son, a doctor told her the child could not survive due to the non-functional medical equipment during the power outage.
“I went to visit my son but I didn’t see him. I was waiting outside when one doctor came to inform me that they were sorry but due to the lights out, my child could not survive because the incubator was not working.
“The lights went off on Tuesday evening. No staff has spoken to me, and they haven’t said anything to me,” she narrated.
