37 Military Hospital is 75 years today
It was the 37th military hospital to be set up in the then Gold Coast to cater for casualties from the Second World War.
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Ghana was the beneficiary and it has lived up to expectation by catering for the health needs of military personnel and their families, support staff, as well as people from all walks of life, even during periods that major hospitals go on strike.
Currently, nearly 70 per cent of all in-patients of the hospital belong to the non-entitled public.
The 37 Military Hospital is 75 years today. Established on July 4, 1941, the hospital began with a modest number of 29 wards but now boasts 400 beds, with many specialised units.
It now serves as the government’s emergency response health facility and, therefore, becomes the centre of action in the event of major disasters in the country.
Immediate past national disasters handled by the hospital are the 2001 stadium disaster which killed more than 120 soccer fans and the June 3, 2015 fire and flood disaster which ended the lives of more than 150 people.
The hospital is now a United Nations Level IV Military Medical facility which provides healthcare for UN soldiers and workers from conflict areas in the sub-region.
Anniversary celebration
The management of the hospital has planned year-long activities to mark the milestone.
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Highlighting activities for the year-long programme to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, Col Raymond Ewusi, said there would be an event to formally launch the anniversary with route marches, open days and fun games.
He said a number of workshops/lectures, medical screening and outreach for the public and medical staff, blood donation campaign, talk shows, anniversary parade, mini trade fair, dinner dance and thanksgiving service to end the celebrations - were all part of planned activities.
Col Ewusi, who is also the Head of the Eye Department of the hospital, said the mini trade fair would give companies the opportunity to market various products.
He said pharmaceutical, insurance, banking and automobile industries were all welcome to participate in the trade fair.
‘Help us’
The Commander of the 37 Military Hospital. Brigadier General E.C. Saka, enumerated some of the challenges facing the health facility.
He said supplies of hospital consumables were not regular, while a lot of the medical equipment were old and broke down very often.
Brig. Gen. Saka said the oxygen plant had broken down four times in the past two months, while the central sterilisation unit had also broken down three times in the past two months.
He noted that the hospital was also facing staff accommodation challenges, resulting in some hospital staff travelling long distances before getting to work and reporting to work in a stressed mood.
“There is good news, as approval has been given for the car park to be expanded into a modern car parking facility to cater for our numerous visitors,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Saka appealed to businesses and the public to support of hospital to enable it to provide more quality and affordable services for the people.