"We don't want no bed syndrome" - St. Elizabeth Hospital appeals for expansion of emergency unit

St. Elizabeth Hospital has appealed for support to expand and equip the facility's emergency unit to improve healthcare delivery and save more lives at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region. The appeal was made during a march through the principal streets of Hwidiem to officially launch this year's Emergency Medicine Day celebration. The Hospital Manager, Sister Georgina Quayson, said "The emergency unit is not befitting the standard of the hospital because it has only an eight-bed capacity and does not have adequate equipment to help staff save lives as expected."

Sister Quayson explained that the hospital urgently requires an expansion of the emergency ward as well as additional medical equipment to cater for the growing number of patients. The Nurse Manager, Gladys Bediako, and the In-Charge of the Emergency Unit, Nsiah Kwaku Stephen, said the facility receives a high number of emergency cases daily. They also noted that the limited space at the emergency ward sometimes forces healthcare workers to treat patients on the floor.

Sister Quayson appealed to individuals, corporate organisations and non-governmental organisations to support the facility, stressing "We don't want the hospital to record the slogan 'No Bed Syndrome', therefore all must see this call as urgent and important." The health professionals indicated that mining activities in the Ahafo Region, particularly in the Asutifi North and South districts, contribute significantly to the increasing number of emergency cases reported to the hospital on a daily basis.