Akyem Tafo Hospital struggling to admit more patients; no space - Management

Management of the Akyem New Tafo Government Hospital is appealing for infrastructure expansion to enable it meet the healthcare needs of its exponential clients in the newly created Abuakwa North Municipality.

In spite of being a District Hospital Hospital, the current total admission capacity stands at 69 due to limited infrastructure. Apart from this, the Hospital needs critical medical equipment for delivery of quality healthcare.

The Akyem New Tafo Government Hospital established in 1962 was initially to serve staff and relatives of then West African Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI), now Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).

The name was however changed to New Tafo Government Hospital when government converted it to general hospital to serve all patients in the entire municipality and beyond but since then no major infrastructure has been added to the existing facility.

The 69 bed compliment hospital serves as the only government hospital in the Abuakwa North Municipality and parts of Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region. Attendance at the hospital has increased by 21.96% in the first half of 2019.

However, the Hospital is unable to admit more patients due to inadequate space.

The male ward for instance is 14 -bed capacity while the female ward is only 16 bed capacity. The Maternity Ward and Pediatric ward are only 25 beds and 14 beds respectively. Casualty Unit was only 7 bed capacity but handles many emergencies .

Dr.Kwabena Awotwe Wiredu, the Medical Superintendent of New Tafo Government Hospital said despite strives made by the facility over the years, the challenges remain daunting .

“The Hospital has no fence Wall and is therefore open and Prone to all kinds of invasions from hawkers and other intruders. Accommodations for our critical stafff posted to the Hospital is also woefully inadequate. We all gathered here will agree without shred of hesitation that these are daunting challenges that absolutely have a negative impact on health care delivery”.

Dr.Awotwe said ” in the next couple of years, the Hospital has an agenda to embark on a visionary infrastructural revolution” hence a call on citizens of the area both home and abroad as well as corporate bodies to support .

Meanwhile to partly relieve the facility of the dire infrastructural needs, the hospital has commissioned the refurbished Out Patient Department and Casualty Unity extension project.The facility has Triage, Information Center, and additional consulting rooms.

The Project was initiated by the immediate Past management led by former Medical Superintendent of the Hospital Dr.Joseph Kojo Tambil to ease the pressure.

Dr. Joseph Tambil told Starr News it is time the the facility is given a face-lift to be able to meet the service demand adding a component of the One Million Dollars Per Constituency policy of the government must be channeled to expand the hospital. .

“There is a lot still to be done in order to make this hospital a proper district hospital.There is a huge deficit of infrastructure. The delivery room of the maternity ward not up to standard, the theater needs some expansion”.

The Chief of Akyem Tafo Osabarima Adusei Peasah II said the Traditional Council is looking for financial support drive to expand the facility with additional 100 bed capacity infrastructure to help deliver sufficient quality healthcare to the increasing clients.