Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health on Tuesday pleaded with the public to show good understanding and support for health professionals at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, given the difficult and stressful conditions under which they are operating.

This was when the committee members came face to face with the dreadful congestion, particularly at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Directorate.

Obviously moved by the reality of the situation there, they said people should be more circumspect in the criticism of the workers.

Mr. Joseph Yileh Chireh, Chairman of the Committee said instead of the condemnation, they should rather empathize with the nurses and doctors, who were working under a very challenging environment to provide care and relief to women in labour and their babies.

He praised the management and staff of the directorate for the hard work and sacrifices they were making to save lives, and asked them to remain unruffled by any unkind comments by people unfamiliar with the problems they faced.

He was speaking after he and his colleague MPs had inspected the “A” Block (maternity block) of the hospital on Wednesday.

They were there to see things for themselves following recent unfortunate incidents involving the missing of bodies of some dead babies.

The pitiful sight of women in labour struggling for space and those who had just delivered, lying on the floor, as they received infusion and other forms of treatment left the MPs in complete shock.

They were told of how the hospital is forced to discharge mothers who had undergone surgery within two days for the lack of space.

The 170-bed capacity block currently admits twice the size of patients it is meant to take in, something that is putting a lot of pressure on the doctors and nurses.

Mr. Chireh said government was doing everything to source external funding to complete the maternal and child health block which was started in 1974.

The Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), Consultants to the project, say government would need US$55 million to complete the project.

The project had stalled and an amount of GH¢15 million owed the contractors, Messrs Cymain Ghana Limited, is yet to be paid.

Professor Henry Sakyi Opare-Addo, Head of the O&G Directorate, conducting the MPs round the wards and the maternity block under construction, said they had petitioned the Health Ministry to make sure the project was completed as a matter of urgency.

He said quality service was essential in maternal health care, and that was why the project should be made a number one priority.