Actress and movie producer, Yvonne Nelson has joined the growing list of public personalities lamenting the effect of rolling power blackouts on healthcare delivery.
There is a growing critique of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government following a viral video of a blackout at the neonatal unit of the Tema General Hospital.
Commenting on the video via X (formerly Twitter) Yvonne labelled Ghanaian leaders as wicked before asking how the president manages to sleep amid such incidents.
“I don’t even know what to type. Our Leaders are WICKED. @NAkufoAddo how do you sleep at night? 8 years of lies. #DUMSORMUSTSTOP,” her caption read.
In the latest video from the hospital, some mothers are captured fanning their babies with cloth because of the heat in the wards after the electricity went out.
24 hours prior, a video of a blackout at the hospital went viral on social media platforms amid citizen anger at rolling power blackouts across the country. In the video, the neonatal ward is plunged into darkness due to lack of power.
A newborn is said to have died due to the erratic power supply situation at the facility, Accra-based GHOne TV has reported.
“Erratic power cut on Tuesday evening plunged the neonatal unit of Tema General Hospital into chaos, resulting in the heartbreaking loss of a newborn,” the channel posted on social media on March 27, 2024.
“The neonatal unit, where infants requiring intensive care are housed, relies heavily on electricity to sustain life-saving equipment such as oxygen support and emergency care devices. The generator intended to provide backup power for the unit is prone to shutting down when overloaded,” their post added.
GhanaWeb did not reach hospital authorities at the time of filing this report to corroborate this claim.
Calls for a power outage timetable from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have been dismissed by the power distributor and the energy minister.
Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s remark that those who want a timetable should produce theirs has triggered massive backlash online even though the ministry has clarified that the comments were misconstrued.
#DumsorMustStop
In 2015 when John Mahama was in power, a power crisis plagued the country into darkness, and many lost their properties and jobs. The devastating nature of the incident led to thousands of people joining actress Yvonne Nelson and other celebrities on the streets of Accra for a massive protest.
It remains uncertain whether Yvonne Nelson will once again spearhead the movement among many frustrated Ghanaians affected by the ongoing power crisis under the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
