The Health Minister-designate, Bernard Okoe-Boye has urged health facilities to utilize alternative power sources, particularly generator sets amidst the recent erratic power supply.
This follows calls for the exemption of Health facilities from the ongoing intermittent power cuts citing its detrimental effect on healthcare delivery.
Addressing the media during a working visit to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Okoe-Boye refuted claims of disregard for the health sector woes and urged the public to discuss the issues without sentiments.
“Because someone did a video of one minute, 40 seconds and said lights have gone out, everybody goes emotional. The truth is that, if the country experiences some issues with power availability, hospitals are not outside the country, they will also experience some.
“Another truth is that most of our hospitals have standby power plants, but just like management of a house, you can go to a house, they have a generator but maybe the generator has an issue.
“The one to put in petrol has an issue. Let’s stick to the essentials. Let’s ask a hospital, how is your generator? Is it working? If it’s not working, have you approached the ministry? If it’s working, who was in charge? Why didn’t you make it work? I don’t want to go into the details. We should not get sensational. Let’s stick to the essentials.
“If we want to discuss power supply in hospitals and standby generators, let’s discuss it. That is the way to make progress. You can do an audit, in Accra, there are forty government hospitals, out of the forty, about thirty have power plants. Ten don’t have. Doctor, what are you doing about it? That is the way to make progress,” Okoe-Boye said.
