The Medical Superintendent at the Suntreso hospital in the Ashanti Region has said a week's notice presented to the hospital by striking health workers prompted the hospital into taking measures in accordance with patients.

Dr Thomas Agyako Poku said, although measure such as referrals and limiting the number of admissions where put in place, it was not enough to face its increasing patients.

The situation has forced doctors of the hospital to multi-task by taking up some of the role of nurses.

"Last week they sent a notice that there was a possibility that they would embark on a strike, so in that case, we limited the number of admissions and referred them," he said.

The situation has created a go slow at the hospital as the doctors are limited to the number of patients they can attend to.

He disclosed that the debacle led the hospital into closing down its female wards, male wards, the official facilities as well as the suspension of maternity services.

Dr Thomas Agyako Poku stressed that the other difficulty in running the hospital is the lack of personnel in the mother and baby unit which has some children under oxygen.

"Some of the children are on oxygen, doctors are on stand-by to make sure that such children are catered for" he said.

The strike has left patients waiting for long hours before being attended to and in worst cases told to return the next day after waiting in the queue for the whole day.