37 Military Hospital
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The 37 Military Hospital is a specialist hospital located in
Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, on the main road between the Kotoka International Airport and central Accra. It is the largest military hospital in the
Republic of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
after the
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is a public teaching hospital located in the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District in Accra, Ghana. It is the only public tertiary hospital in the southern part of the country. It is a teaching hospital affiliate ...
. The name 37 was because it was the 37th military hospital to be built in the British colony of West Africa. The hospital is also known for the story of the bats who never left their chief.


History

The hospital was originally established in 1941 by a British military officer, General
George Giffard General (United Kingdom), General Sir George James Giffard (27 September 1886 – 17 November 1964) was a British military officer, who had a distinguished career in command of African troops in World War I, rising to command an Army Group in S ...
, as a military hospital to provide treatment for troops injured in the Second World War. At the same time, Giffard also arranged the creation of the 52 Military Hospital at Takoradi, although this was later relocated to India. The hospital's name at this time was No. 37 General Hospital; it was changed to 37 Military Hospital of the Gold Coast in 1956. The hospital was later expanded and opened to the public, although the hospital continues to be staffed primarily by military personnel. In 2011, during a national strike by doctors in public hospitals, the
Ministry of Health Ministry of Health may refer to: Note: Italics indicate now-defunct ministries. * Ministry of Health (Argentina) * Ministry of Health (Armenia) * Australia: ** Ministry of Health (New South Wales) * Ministry of Health (The Bahamas) * Ministry of ...
donated GH ¢230,000 of medical supplies to the hospital to enable it to continue treating an increased number of patients. During this 19-day strike, the number of patients admitted to the hospital doubled. In the aftermath of the
2015 Accra explosion On June 3, 2015, an explosion and a fire occurred at a petrol station in Ghana's capital city Accra, killing over 250 people. Explosion The GOIL station, near Kwame Nkrumah Interchange in the city's downtown area, was being used as a shelter ...
amid the
2015 Accra floods The 2015 Accra floods resulted from heavy continuous rainfall in Accra, the largest city in Ghana. The rain started on 1 June 2015. Other causes of this flood is as a result of the improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters which bloc ...
, so many bodies were taken to the hospital that the morgue was overwhelmed. The explosion killed over 150 people.


Facilities

In total, the hospital has around 400 beds. It has a 24-hour
accident and emergency An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the Acute (medicine), ...
department and pharmacy. Its x-ray facilities are also available 24 hours a day. Other departments include divisions for dental treatment,
gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
, paediatrics and veterinary treatment. Its trauma department has been described by one travel guide as "the best in Accra". The hospital is also used as a teaching hospital for post-graduate medical students. The Hospital was established on July 4, 1941, as the 37th facility by the allied forces in the then Gold Coast. From 1991 till today the German company Hospital Engineering GmbH had significant participation in the phased development of the 37 Military Hospital and is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment: * Medical Oxygen Production and Distribution (1991/1992) * Operating Theatre Block, including Central Sterilisation Department (1992/1993) * Mortuary and Department of Morbid Anatomy (1995) * Pharmacy (1998-2001) * Laboratories, including Blood Bank (1998-2001) * Functional Diagnostics Department (1998-2001) * Burns Unit (1998-2001) * Intensive Care Unit (1998-2001) * VIP/Officers Ward (1998-2001) * Rank Wards (1998-2001) * Satellite Maternity Unit (1998-2001) * Out-Patient-Department Planning Design, Architectural Drawings, Turnkey Construction (2004) The departments at the hospital include: * Shopping Mall *
Accident & Emergency An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
* Dental Division * Public Health Division * Medical Division * Medical Reception Stations * Obstetrics & Gynaecology * Paediatric Division * Pathology Division *
Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
Division * Radio Diagnosis, Radiography & X-ray * Surgical Division * Veterinary Division * Health Training School ( Medical Education) * Renal Dialysis Unit * Ophthalmology Division * Ear, Nose, and Throat Division


Emergency

The hospital helped in the fight of the novel
Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...
.


References


Further reading

*Mensah, R. S., R. S. Mogale, and M. S. Richter. "Birthing experiences of Ghanaian women in 37th Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana." International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences 1 (2014): 29-34. {{coord, 5.588577, -0.183246, display=title Hospitals in Ghana Buildings and structures in Accra Military installations of Ghana Hospitals established in 1941 1941 establishments in Africa Military hospitals