DOI: 10.36347/sasjm

Pages: 49-54

While resource availability for the provision of standard anaesthesia in high-resource countries is easily accessible, very little is known about the state of resourcefulness of anaesthesia in Ghana. The availability of such a data serves as a valuable tool to guide investment in the specialty. Our objective was to determine the challenges faced in delivery of safe anesthesia to patients in Ghana from the perspectives of the anesthesia staff. This descriptive study was conducted among Ghanaian anaesthetists. A total of 120 self-reporting questionnaires were distributed among participants who attended a National Conference in October 2013. Of these, 114 questionnaires were fully completed and returned. Main outcomes measures included personnel, infrastructure, procedures, equipment and supplies. Findings of the study indicate majority of anaesthesia providers in Ghana (92.9%) were nurse anaesthetist. Seventy-five (70.7%) nurse anesthetists practice without supervision from consultant anaesthetists. In relations to general hospital conditions, 64% and 68% had reliable electricity and running water respectively. Obstetric anesthesia is the most common procedure performed with 67.6% performing more than 20 cases a month. All participants had equipment to monitor blood pressure, while 86% were able to monitor SPO2. The availability of drugs to manage preeclampsia was poor. On the other hand, drugs to manage maternal hemorrhage were better, although ergomentrin and oxytocin were always available to 61.4% and 85.1% respectively. In conclusion, Ghana depends heavily on nurse anaesthetists in the provision of anaesthesia services. Obstetric anesthesia remains the most common procedure anaesthetists perform and this is faced with challenges such as unreliable supply of intravenous fluids, blood and drugs to manage complications.