Management of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region say the establishment of a Burns Unit to handle medical situations arising from fire is long overdue.
Tuesday’s gas explosion in Takoradi left some victims critically injured beyond the strength of facilities at the regional hospital, as they had to be transported by road for over 3 hours from Takoradi to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
Apart from the many oil related companies cited within the region’s most populous city, the increased appetite for the establishment of fuel stations in and around the Twin City calls for proper health systems in the region.
However, the main referral center for the entire region with a population of over 2.3 million people has no Burns Unit to deal with fire related cases.
Speaking to journalists after a visit to the victims of the gas explosion by the Western Regional Mnister, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie and his entourage, acting Medical Director of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Dr. Richard Anthony, bemoaned the absence of a burns Unit in view of a possible reoccurrence of similar explosions in the region.
He said “apart from this explosion that has occurred, there are a lot of factors within western region and we should expect that these explosions may occur from time to time.”
“We should get ready, we shouldn’t wait till we have mass casualties before we start asking why shouldn’t there be this, why wasn’t there this, why wasn’t there that? We are trying to do our best within the constraints to handle most of the casualties that come. But the truth is, we need a well-equipped Burns Center within the Western Region even with or without this explosion that happened on Tuesday.”
By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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