Expansion Work On Police Hospital

The Police Hospital in Accra is to undergo major rehabilitation and expansion works to include the construction of modern multi-purpose medical blocks.

This is to cater for the increasing population of patients, mostly civilians, who visit the hospital, which was built purposely to take care of the health needs of police personnel in the country. The project, which will be funded through a Spanish grant, will begin in June, this year. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Victor Brakohiapa, disclosed this in an interview in Accra.

Dr Brakohiapa, a specialist surgeon, who is also a Deputy Commissioner of Police, however, could not immediately determine the cost of the project, saying that “the contractors are earnestly working on the modalities”. He noted that since the establishment of the hospital in 1976, its budgetary allocation has not improved, adding that “the 100-bed capacity hospital has been overstretched.”

According to Dr Brakohiapa, although the project was supposed to start at the end of last year, it came to a standstill for reasons he could not explain. He expressed disappointment at the salaries and service conditions of medical personnel, describing them as appalling, and added that their colleagues working under the Ministry of Health (MOH) receive better salaries than they. He, however, noted that the Inspector-General of Police, Nana Owusu Nsiah, is working fervently to help improve salaries and the general conditions of service for the health professionals of the hospital.

Dr Brakohiapa revealed that 12 doctors left the hospital for greener pastures as a result of poor conditions of service and remunerations. "A part from allowances which are paid to us regularly as police personnel, the salaries are unattractive," he said. Asked whether the Ghana Health Service (GHS) could help improve their conditions of service, Dr Brakohiapa indicated that the Police Hospital falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. "It, therefore, does not have any connection with the GHS which has an affiliation with MOH," he stated.

Dr Brakohiapa said he will do all within his means to liaise with the GHS to improve and provide quality health care to patients. Touching on HIV/AIDS, he said the hospital's public health department has been carrying out an HIV/AIDS educational and sensitisation programme for police personnel, both at their workplaces and at the barracks throughout the country to help reduce the deadly menace.