Hayford’s mother is a renal patient who visits the hospital twice in a week for dialysis.
But he fears for the worst in her condition if medical laboratories in public health facilities continue to be shut, as lab workers embark on strike to demand conditions of service.
Hayford’s mother requires at least two units of blood to replenish her losses during dialysis sessions. Any delay in replenishing could affect her oxygen levels and could later cause malfunctioning of her respiration, leading to death.
But with the ongoing strike by the laboratory workers, blood acquisition has become difficult for most renal patients.
“I cried today at the intensive care unit,” said Hayford. “Mummy was supposed to receive some amount of blood in pack cell form, and it was difficult getting some because the private hospitals depend mostly on Komfo Anokye Blood Bank for most of the blood requests. But because of the strike, it’s difficult to access the blood”.
People with kidney failure are only a fraction of patients adversely impacted by the strike of the laboratory workers.
Patients seeking services at public hospitals across the country, including the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, are directed to private laboratories, where the cost of lab services is beyond the reach of many.
Relatives of patients, like Hayford, are uneasy with the persisting industrial action.
“People on blood infusion, those who are supposed to get blood are trying to improvise because of the strike, and their improvising won’t sustain them. So, if these strikes are not called off earlier, Kumasi should expect mass burial… the truth is that people at the renal unit, people at the ICU, people at the accident and emergency unit, people who need blood, if they don’t get it earlier enough, they will die,” said Hayford.
The Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union has defied calls from the Ministry of Health to call off their strike and return to the negotiation table.
But the laboratory scientists insist on a positive response to their plea before resuming work.