Bolga Hospital has no dentist

The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, which has served as the immediate referral point for complex health conditions in the last two years, has been without a specialist dentist.

Mr Lucio Dery, Deputy Director in charge of the hospital's administration, who confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said a dentist who was posted to the region failed to turn up, and added that the directorate was still engaged in talks with the Ghana Health Service for more doctors to address the doctor deficit.

He said the dental clinic was temporarily being managed by dental technicians and a nurse until a professional dentist was posted to the region, adding that district hospitals in the region also lacked dentists.

Mr Cletus Nyaaba, technician at the hospital’s dental clinic, said conditions that required further treatment were referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern Region.

The Deputy Director indicated that the only Cuban dentist who worked in the Bongo District Health Centre had gone back to her home country after completing her service, and that there had since been no replacement.

He indicated that as part of strategies to improve health service delivery in the regional and district hospitals, plans were in place to get qualified doctors to man them.

He said the Regional Directorate of Health had posted a gynaecologist and a surgeon to the Tongo Clinic in the Talensi District as part of measures to upgrade the facility there.

He said efforts were being made to get doctors for the Paga District Health Centre to improve upon services there as well.