Response from a friend (a nurse who works outside our ‘Mecca’ – Accra/Kumasi):
Sad! Unfortunately, that is how bad the system is and the story of many Ghanaians who will not have the contact of Sam George to even call.
When my father was referred to KATH Emergency in 2018 from Effiduase hospital, I had to call almost everyone I knew there to arrange a bed because there was no bed for him. Eventually, when the green light was given, the National Ambulance guys will not move because they were not the ones who spoke to the triage nurses to confirm the availability of a bed in Komfo Anokye. So I had to call back and get my friend who is a nurse to return to the KATH Emergency to that the Ambulance guys could speak to them before they would move.
When she eventually got there and gave the phone to the KATH triage nurses, it became an argument between the Ambulance guys and the nurses in Effiduase as to whose responsibility it was to speak to the KATH nurses. I stood there bewildered, almost in tears – this was my father lying there breathless and these people were arguing about whether or not it was the responsibility of the nurses or the Ambulance technicians to speak to KATH nurses.
Eventually, it was resolved and the nurses spoke to the triage nurses at KATH and the greenlight was again given. These ambulance people will still not move because the nurses did not allow them rather to speak🤦🏽♀️. So i had to call again, a third time, so that the Ambulance technicians will also confirm for themselves. This back and forth took more than hour before we eventually moved.
The experience at KATH emergency is story for another day. Such a sorry state of our health system!
