Report Excerpts: Fire Outbreak at Bongo District Hospital Operating Theater
The fire outbreak occurred on a Saturday when most equipment in the building was off, except for two fridges and overhead lights. Though no person was hurt in the fire, it is very regrettable considering the unimaginable extent of destruction caused to hospital property by the fire.
The temporary solution was to create a mini-theatre using the dental facility of the hospital. The temporary theater is to care for very critical and life threatening cases, and is using primarily GMH-sourced equipment to keep it functional, since all surgical equipment was lost to the fire.
by Dr. William Gudu, Medical Superintendent
See more photos and read the full report here.
About Bongo District Hospital
The Bongo District Hospital is in a very traditional community. It is surrounded by an ecosystem that looks how one would imagine the planet Mars, due to the very high iron and fluoride content in the ground. The strong religious roots in this community and water contamination create common health issues for pregnant women and young children. Until recently, the Bongo Hospital had the highest mortality rate in the Upper East Region for children under 5 years of age.
Hospital Serves: 90,000 people
Endemic Medical Conditions: dental fluorosis*, malaria, respiratory tract infection, malnutrition, chronic infections, hypertension
Doctors On Staff: 1 doctor
Specialization: General Practitioner
Specialized Facilities: ophthalmic, dental, psychiatric, retroviral
*caused by the very high salt and iron content in the rocky landscape that contaminates their water sources
Medical Equipment Needed:
- BP apparatus’
- pulse oximeters
- digital thermometers
- oxygen concentrator
- dressing, delivery and surgical instruments
- nebulizer machines
- sterile OR gowns
- autoclave
- metal bed pans
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