[ 2017-05-26 ]

The Western Regional Minister and the medical director standing by one of the victims

Fourteen Takoradi fire victims to be transferred to Interbeton
Doctors at the three medical facilities handling
the victims of the May 9, 2017, Takoradi gas
explosion are struggling to take care of some of
them, as a result of the lack of critical care
units in the region to handle their conditions.

The facilities are the Takoradi Hospital,
Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital and the Ghana
Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Hospital.

In view of that, those in critical condition are
being prepared for transfer to the Central
Regional Hospital (Interbeton) in Cape Coast, for
further treatment.

No burns and trauma units

The region currently has no burns and trauma units
or critical care units in any of the health
facilities to handle severe cases of burns.

According to the medical team at the Takoradi
Hospital, 14 out of the more than 30 victims were
being prepared for transfer to the Central
Region.

The Medical Director at the Takoradi Hospital, Dr
Fred Otubour, described the burns the victims
suffered as very serious and advised that the
earlier the patients were sent to a better
facility with critical units, the better.

He said some of the victims who were sent to the
hospital had been treated and discharged and
others were still on admission.

“But the 14 victims will be moved to a facility
with a critical care unit. We are working together
with other facilities to see how best we can get
help to move them to the Central Region on
time,” Dr Otubour added.

The Medical Director at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional
Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, said 83 of the
victims were brought to the hospital by the
police, personnel of the National Fire Service and
some students.

He said they comprised those with serious burns,
minor burns and those who fell and suffered
fractures while fleeing from the explosion area.

He said victims who sustained burns that were not
serious were discharged last Wednesday, while
others would spend two to three weeks at the
facility.

Asked if the facility had received any financial
support from any quarter, to take care of the
victims, Dr Anthony stated that the hospital was
yet to receive any form of financial assistance.

“We are here to serve. When the victims were
brought in we did not pursue any financial
interest but rather took them in and gave the
needed care, with the hope that any financial
matters would be later taken care of,” he
added.

However, some of the victims who had been
discharged told the Daily Graphic that they had to
bear the cost of treatment.

Regional minister

The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kweku Afriyie,
who visited the victims at the various hospitals,
commended the medical team, the police, the Fire
personnel and the Ambulance Service, for saving
the situation.

He said it was a miracle that no death was
recorded and pledged his support to ensure that
those on admission were properly taken care of for
them to recover and return to their daily
activities.

Background

More than 100 people sustained various degrees of
injury last Tuesday when a gas tanker exploded on
the Sekondi/Takoradi highway near former
Primewood.

The injured included personnel of the Ghana Police
Service and Ghana National Fire Service,
passers-by and some students.

Source - Graphic.com.gh

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