Contrary to statements made recently by the Connaught Hospital’s care manager, Desmond Olu Black with regard gradual development in the hospital, one of the porters Alie Koroma has confided in this medium that ‘all is not well’.
According to him, they constituted the junior workers who maintain hygienic atmosphere in the hospital wards.
He said they were very much willing to work but the required equipment to ease their work were unavailable, adding that for the past couple of months they had made a lot of requisitions for trolley, gloves and stretcher but to no avail.
Alie Koroma said they used their hands to transfer the remains of people from wards to the mortuary. He explained that the hospital had a capacity of over 300 patients most of whom depended on porters and other staff nurses to assist them during critical situations.
On the issue of motivation, he said there was an agreement between them and the hospital management known as ‘WAN POT’ in which they were expected to collect Le20.000 to Le50.000 monthly incentives but that they were not realizing it.
Another porter, who preferred anonymity, said the hospital management was up to the task by administering treatment to patients but little was being paid to their demands.
He said there was no way they could accomplish their duties effectively without the provision of trolley and stretcher.
With regard the ‘WAN POT’ agreement, he said it was not legally binding on the hospital management and the ministry of Health and Sanitation, but was a consensus reached between them and the management as a backup to their meager salaries.
By Solomon Rogers