Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express

There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates.

Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago.

In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it.

Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital.

At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards.

The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it.

“We do not have some here for almost a year now. What I know is that they are replacing the old cards with new ones. We have been told that they are adding some new drugs to the list as well,” one nursing officer at the Kaneshie Polyclinic told this reporter.

The situation is not different at the Adabraka Polyclinic and Ridge Hospital. At the Ridge Hospital, they are currently using a pink card in place of the original card.

Meanwhile, Mr Tony Goodman, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Ministry of Health said he was not aware of the shortage, but said he will verify the information.

“I know there was no shortage of weighing cards but I will check it,” he added.