Construction works on the laundry block of the Atua Government Hospital in the Eastern Region have been left unfinished for over 10 years, showing no signs of progress.
The project, initiated under the leadership of Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu, former Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo, has been neglected and left vulnerable without any clear plan for its future.
When the Ghana News Agency reached out to the hospital management, it said it could not give any public statements on the project without prior approval from the Ghana Health Service.
Meanwhile, a source at the hospital informed the Ghana News Agency that there was a shortage of laundry space, leading to a negative impact on their services.
However, the source was hesitant to speak due to concerns about potential repercussions from higher authorities.
Hospital laundry services offer a variety of essential tasks for healthcare facilities, such as sorting, cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting used linen.
These services ensure fresh and clean linen for patients to enhance their healing process and to prevent infections.
As per the source, the neglected project is causing significant inconvenience in the laundry task.
“Because of the situation, we have been washing in a small room, which is affecting our work,” the source said, adding; “Due to that, we have resulted to using a domestic washing machine, which takes a longer period to wash, making it difficult for us.”
The hospital officials believe that once completed, the project would greatly enhance their laundry services and even install a state-of-the-art laundry machine for a dedicated drying space, establish an iron room, and provide office space for the laundress.
It appealed to stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and non-governmental organisations to provide support for the hospital’s laundry facility to expedite its completion.
In 2014 Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, the incumbent Member of Parliament, Lower Manya Krobo, made a promise to establish a laundry facility for the hospital but despite his donation to the hospital, there had been no progress on the project.
GNA
DL/ABD
22 March 2024
