Renowned Ghanaian musician Sarkodie has added his voice to the ongoing debate about power outages in the country and their impact on healthcare services.
In response to a viral video showing a power outage at the Tema General Hospital, Sarkodie criticized the situation as a result of “misplaced priorities” by government officials.
The video, which gained widespread attention, depicted healthcare workers and mothers struggling to care for babies in darkness using only their phone lights.
Sarkodie took to his Instagram story on March 27, 2024, to share the video and express his concerns, captioning it, “The Impact when we misplace priorities. we pray for these innocent babies.”
In the latest footage from the hospital, mothers were seen using cloths to fan their babies to alleviate the heat in the wards following a power outage. Reports from Accra-based GHOne TV indicated that a newborn had tragically passed away due to the inconsistent power supply at the facility.
The neonatal unit at the Tema General Hospital, where infants requiring intensive care are housed, heavily relies on electricity to power life-saving equipment such as oxygen support and emergency care devices. However, the generator meant to provide backup power for the unit is prone to shutting down when overloaded.
Efforts to obtain a power outage schedule from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have been unsuccessful, with both the utility provider and the Minister of Energy rejecting requests for information. Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s suggestion that individuals create their own power outage timetable has faced backlash online, despite the ministry’s clarification that the remarks were misconstrued.
As concerns continue to mount about the impact of power outages on healthcare services in the country, it is imperative that government officials take decisive action to address the issue and ensure the well-being of all Ghanaian citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
