Accra (Greater Accra), - The nation's premier hospital is facing mass brain drain on the nursing front despite significant improvement in equipment and infrastructure.
The current ratio of nurses to patients is 1:20. This is against the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended standard of one nurse to five patients.
Mr. Fred Dugbazah, Public Relations Officer at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, said more and more nurses are leaving the hospital for other places due to the work load. "The situation is becoming very alarming".
Mr. Dugbazah was speaking to the GNA in an assessment of the nation's health towards the realisation of the WHO slogan of "Health for All" by the year 2000.
"We still need more doctors. However, post graduate training programmes in the West African sub-region has made the situation on the doctor's front much better as compared to that of the nurses." Mr. Dugbazah said apart from the staffing issue, the hospital has seen a lot of developmental changes over the past 10 years which could serve as a basis for better health care delivery. "For instance, facilities and equipment in the surgical department can compare favourably with equipment and facilities in hi-tech hospitals overseas."
He said most diseases such as cancer formerly sent abroad for treatment, "are now being handled locally because we have all the equipment here to treat the patients at the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit.
"The Surgical and Medical Emergency Units are all equipped with modern gadgets. The dental school will be turning out about 40 students annually."
Mr. Dugbazah said latest X-rays machines such as CT scan have been installed by the hospital and the MRI, a hi-tech x-ray machine being used in most developed countries will soon be installed in the hospital."
"Telecommunication equipment, including pagers, public address systems and extension lines have been installed in all out-patient departments to enhance efficient delivery of services."
He said a 24-hour modern Central Laboratory to serve the hospital is being put in place. Mr Dugbazah said the idea of corporate bodies adopting some of the units, which was initiated by the hospital is cutting down on government expenditure because monies which would otherwise have gone into those units are now being taken care of by corporate bodies. "Seven companies have so far responded by adopting various units and wards," he said.
