The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku constituency, Dr Okoe Boye, has called for effective monitoring of health facilities and establishment of toll free numbers to enable the public to access emergency health services.
He made the call following the unfortunate demise of a 70-year old man, Mr Prince Anthony Opoku Acheampong, who died in his car at the LEKMA Hospital at Teshie after being turned away by seven hospitals for lack of beds.
Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, whose constituency the man died, told journalists during the inspection of work on a 7.5-kilometre road at Teshie on Tuesday that, the toll free numbers would create linkage among health facilities and enable individuals with emergency health conditions to be connected to health facilities for treatment.
Dr Okoe Boye, a medical practitioner by profession said he had been championing the establishment of toll free numbers by the Health Ministry in Parliament and believed it would yield the needed result.
‘‘We need toll free numbers similar to that of the Fire Service, the Police Service, the Ambulance Service and the rest so that if anyone needs emergency health service, he or she can call, especially when the person has been turned away by a health facility so that this no-bed syndrome will stop,’’ he suggested.
Dr Okoe Boye described the death of the late Acheampon as unfortunate, noting that there was high time health workers put up ‘‘good attitude’’ in order to stop such needless deaths.He said the bad attitudes of some health workers had created bad image for those working in the various health facilities and it was time the Health Ministry ensured effective monitoring to bring perpetrators to book.
Commenting on the road stretching from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre to the main Spintex Road Junction that had stalled for almost two years, Dr Okoe Boye commended the government for the determination to complete the project.He said the road served about one million residents in the eastern part of Accra and connected four constituencies and a referral hospital (LEKMA) Hospital.
The MP said he would continue monitoring the construction work and make sure that the contractor was paid on time to avert any delays.The 7.5-kilometre dual carriage road stretching from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre to the main Spintex Road Junction stalled for almost two years due to