The Reha-Medical Supply Ghana Limited, a multinational healthcare company, has presented 80 hospital beds to selected hospitals in the Greater Accra Region.

Twenty of the beds were presented to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and 10 each to the 37 Military, the Police, the Tema General, the LEKMA and the La General hospitals.

The Achimota Hospital and the Kasoa Polyclinic received five beds each.

The beds were presented following the recent ‘No bed’ syndrome that has bedevilled the healthcare sector in the country.

‘No bed’ syndrome

Presenting the beds, valued at GH?180,000, to the beneficiary hospitals, the Executive Chairman of the Reha-Medical Group Limited, Mr Harry B. Sintim-Aboagye, expressed regret over the recent death of a 70-year-old man as a result of the ‘no bed’ syndrome.

He expressed worry about the development and said he had been wondering why credible hospitals that turned away the patient could not save a life due to the lack of beds.

“I thought it was appropriate and expedient to, on behalf of my management and staff, donate these beds to the hospitals to help avoid the ‘No bed’ syndrome in the country, so that our hospitals can provide unimpeded health care for prospective patients,” he said.

Mr Sintim-Aboagye said the donation, which was part of the company’s social responsibility, was one of its initiatives to help promote health care in the country.

“It is imperative to acknowledge that our hospitals can’t do it all by themselves and so this is a gesture from the company to show our support for them,” he added.

Appreciation

For her part, the acting Medical Director of the Police Hospital, Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Mariam Tetteh-Korboe, who received the beds on behalf of the hospitals, said the beds had come at the right time.

“We thank you and are grateful to you for stepping in at this time to support us with these beds. We promise that they will be used for the intended purpose. We are overwhelmed by this gesture because there is need for them and we have had them at the right time,” she stressed.

Dr Tetteh-Korboe said the death of the 70-year-old man was an unfortunate incident which should never happen again.

Recall

On Saturday, June 2, 2018, 70-year-old Prince Anthony Opoku Acheampon died after his family had sent him to the C&J Medicare Hospital at Adabraka, the Korle Bu Polyclinic, the Ridge, the Police and the Trust hospitals, as well as the La Polyclinic and finally the LEKMA Hospital at Teshie where he died in his car.

The hospitals are said to have refused to admit Prince Acheampon because they claimed they did not have beds.

On Monday, June 11, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, directed all government-accredited hospitals and clinics to, henceforth, desist from turning patients away on the excuse that they had no beds.

He called on hospitals and clinics to make every effort to stabilise patients before referring them to the next level facilities.

The GHS has since set up a six-member committee to look into the circumstances that led to Prince Acheampon’s death.

The committee, among other things, is to look into whether there was a case of medical negligence at any of the seven medical facilities that turned away Prince Acheampon before his death.