Surgical unit at Korle-Bu suspends urgent cases as 91 staff test positive.

Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has suspended urgent cases for two weeks following a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases among the surgical staff at the hospital.

A memo from the hospital’s director of medical affairs addressed to Heads of Departments, highlights the importance of this decision as the majority of the staff at the surgical unit of the hospital are self-isolating.

“There has been a recent surge in COVID-19 infections among staff working in the surgical areas. It has necessitated self-isolation of the majority of these staff. Hence a decision has been taken to suspend all urgent cases for two weeks. All emergency cases will resume as before.”

Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Doctor Daniel Asare has said that 91 staff have been exposed to the coronavirus.

The Ghana Health Service in a press statement has also indicated that this premier hospital in the country has to take this step “to protect our clients and the rest of the staff who are still at post and providing care to patients. The suspension will also enable us to reorganize ourselves for the resumption of regular services. Only dire emergencies will be attended to in this period. We, therefore, request sister health facilities to refer only dire surgical emergencies… to the Korle -Bu during the suspension. Other parts of the hospital are still in operation.”

Head of Public Relations at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mustapha Salifu has also said that some critical surgical staff have been infected.

“We have staff who are critical to the service we provide, particularly the surgical interventions that we do in the hospital. And if a great number are exposed it is only fair and proper for us to scale back and use those who are not infected to provide care to dire emergencies.”

He reiterated the need for health centres in the Accra Metropolis to refer cases to other health centres. This is because Korle-Bu is the most advanced public hospital in the country and referrals are often not just within the capital.

“So we are calling on our sister hospitals not to refer the non-emergency and urgent cases. They should try and refer to other appropriately equipped facilities within the metropolis to handle that whilst we observe the period of suspension for the next two weeks.”

He made it clear that the 91 cases have been accumulating for a while now. According to him, the hospital was trying to continue its normal operations regardless of the increasing cases but realise that the circumstances were deteriorating.

“As of last week we had about 91 staff members who are infected with the disease.  We {were} still working but within the circumstances we thought it wise to scale back, so that we will not expose our patients.”

Korle-Bu plays a critical role in the delivery of health care in the country. The implications of this action by its administration will only be realised during the period the surgical unit will be absent.

The hospital recently carried out the first-ever kidney transplant in Ghana. It is one of the few hospitals in Africa where DNA tests are carried out.