The Somanya District Hospital in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region is at risk of losing power due to an unpaid debt of about GH₵1.4 million to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
This financial strain is taking a toll on the hospital’s operations and healthcare services delivery to the people of the area and the nearby communities.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Ms Irina Ofei, Director of the Ghana Health Service, Yilo Krobo Municipality, said urgent action was needed to resolve the issue and secure the facility’s power supply.
She expressed shock at the power distribution company’s decision to disconnect the hospital, which provided essential services, from the national grid.
This comes after the ECG informed the hospital of its intention to disconnect power last week for failing to pay the accumulated bill since May 2022.
She expressed disappointment over the situation and urged the power distribution company to show leniency while the hospital management deals with the matter.
“The hospital will be marking two years in April 2024, and we can’t work without electricity,” she said, adding that; “We are providing essential services to Ghana, so I will urge the management of the ECG to give us some time to pay the debt.”
Me Ofei said the hospital was unable to cover the nearly 1.4 million Ghana cedis debt at the moment, but she guaranteed that the payment would be made.
She called for government’s support in tackling the current issues to prevent interruption in health service delivery.
“I am appealing to the government and higher authorities to help waive this amount because the hospital can’t raise the said amount any moment from now.”
Ms Sekyiwaa Mensah, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), ECG Tema region, informed the Ghana News Agency that the hospital had not made any payments to the company since April 2022.
“It has an outstanding debt of GHC1,398,955.40 to the ECG company,” she said.
The notice of disconnection was served on the facility on Thursday, February 22, 2024, indicating that the hospital had a 14-day ultimatum to pay or have its facility disconnected from the national grid.
The PRO said the notice formed part of ECG’s ongoing nationwide debt recovery exercise.
