Minority urges govt to prevent disconnection of 91 hospitals

The looming threat of power disconnection poses a significant risk to the healthcare sector, potentially disrupting essential medical services provided to patients.

This urgent call to action follows reports that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) intends to disconnect the power supply to these hospitals due to unpaid bills. The Minority has described the situation as dire, emphasizing the critical role these hospitals play in providing healthcare services to Ghanaians, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

The Minority Spokesperson on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in addressing the issue highlighted the potential adverse effects of power disconnection on patient care, medical equipment, and overall hospital operations.

He emphasized that an uninterrupted power supply is essential for running life-saving equipment such as ventilators, incubators, and surgical equipment, which are crucial for patient treatment and care.

Furthermore, the Minority has called for an immediate intervention from the government to settle the outstanding electricity bills owed by these hospitals.

“While serving notice to the ECG that health service delivery is a social good, the government must work as tediously to ensure that maintenance of health service delivery as a social good is not threatened by this dereliction of duty towards the maintenance and provision of the same. Article 342 of the 1992 constitution guarantees the right to good health. Because of this, services provided by health facilities are generally provided at cost plus a small margin to ensure that the service can continuously provide the neediest service sustainably.”

“The minority is also of the opinion that the government should find other reliable funding mechanisms other than the IGF of health facilities to cover these important expenditure line items. In this regard, the government could consider if the National Health Insurance Fund could take up some of the utility bills of health facilities to enhance or ensure that the service is not curtailed.”

They stressed the need for a comprehensive and sustainable solution to address the financial challenges faced by healthcare facilities across the country, including adequate budgetary allocations and timely disbursement of funds.