A newborn at the Tema General Hospital passed away as a result of the facility’s unstable power supply, According to report by Accra-based GHOne TV
“Erratic power cut on Tuesday evening plunged the neonatal unit of Tema General Hospital into chaos, resulting in the heartbreaking loss of a newborn,” the channel posted on social media on March 27, 2024.
“The neonatal unit, where infants requiring intensive care are housed, relies heavily on electricity to sustain life-saving equipment such as oxygen support and emergency care devices. The generator intended to provide backup power for the unit is prone to shutting down when overloaded,” their post added.
The event occurred just twenty-four hours after a video of the blackout went viral on social media, igniting public outrage over the nation’s ongoing power outages.
A power outage in the neonatal ward is depicted in the aforementioned video as total darkness.
Although the exact time of the video’s capture is unknown, the voice behind it—possibly that of a hospital employee—provided background information.
“There is lights out here at the Tema General Hospital. This baby is on CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and all of it have gone off. While there is oxygen available, there is no flow meter to connect… If we don’t get light in few minutes, the probability that we might lose a lot of babies is high,” she stated.
According to the staff, up to ten babies in critical condition are among the full complement of patients on the unit. The devastating effects of the power outage are made clear in the video.
In a different video shot at the same facilities, mothers are seen using cloths to fan their infants due to the heat in the wards following an outage of electricity.
