- Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere has issued a strong warning against the theft of critical medical equipment
- He revealed that the hospital has experienced repeated incidents of theft
- Dr. Owusu-Sekyere emphasized the high cost of replacing the stolen equipment
Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), has issued a strong warning against the theft of critical medical equipment, particularly oxygen supply pipes.
He revealed that the hospital has experienced repeated incidents of theft, where individuals cut and steal copper pipes that deliver oxygen to patients, endangering patient care.
During an inspection of ongoing rehabilitation projects, Dr. Owusu-Sekyere expressed concern about the financial strain these thefts place on the hospital.
He stated, “We are more vigilant now. Then to add to it, we are in advance stages of procuring the services of private security to help with the dwindling numbers of our internal security, and if that comes on board, we think that we will be able to secure the place better.”
He also highlighted the limitations of current security measures, saying, “We have had to resort to CCTV, but these are not monitored in real time, so something happens, you probably may have an idea who might have done it, but by then, the harm has been caused already.”
Dr. Owusu-Sekyere emphasized the high cost of replacing the stolen equipment, noting, “It is ridiculously expensive to fix these copper pipes, so somebody takes a chunk of it for scrap, and we are paying through our noses to have that one fixed. I think the one that we are doing currently is costing us about GHS400,000 for something that somebody may have sold for GHS50.”
