Renovated male ward of Takoradi hospital commissioned

Takoradi, Feb. 25 GNA - The Male Ward of the Takoradi Hospital has been renovated at the cost of 300 million cedis from the hospitals own resources.

Mr. Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive and Mr. George Offeogbu, Chairman of the Western Regional Health Committee, jointly commissioned the project as part of the first anniversary celebration of the Ghana Health Service (GES) and open day of the Takoradi Hospital on Tuesday.

In an address, Mr. Nkrumah said the Metropolitan assembly has put in place long-term measures to check shortage of doctors and other medical personnel in health institutions in the area.

He said the measures included the award of scholarships to medical students and nurses on the condition that they come back to the area to work after the completion of their courses.

Mr. Nkrumah said the assembly is committed to improving infrastructure at health facilities, adding that, presently the assembly is renovating Shama Polyclinic.

It is working towards the upgrading of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional hospital into a Teaching Hospital.

He said the assembly would construct a two-billion cedi emergency and accident unit for the Takoradi Hospital and accommodation for its medical staff.

Mr. Nkrumah announced that the assembly would also build a Metropolitan Health Administration Block at the cost of 800 million cedis.

He urged stakeholders and the public to support the Metropolitan Assembly to implement the National Health Insurance Scheme in the area. He commended the management and staff of the hospital for their high sense of responsibility in renovating the male ward out of its own resources. He noted that a lot of infrastructural development needs to be done at the hospital to bring it up to acceptable standard and appealed to companies and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital. Mr. Sylvester Anemana, Regional Director of Health Services said the objectives of the CHS are to implement approved national policies for health delivery in the country, to increase access to good quality health services and to manage prudently, resources available for the provision of health services.

He said to be able to achieve these objectives a patient's charter and code of ethics have been published by the GHS to guide its staff in their work.

Dr. Anemana said the patient's charter spells out clearly the rights of the patient to quality health care and treatment, a right to confidentiality the right to information and outlines the need for the patient to be responsible and present himself early for treatment. He said the patient is also expected to take his treatment as prescribed and to respect the health care provider.

Dr. Anemana said the code of ethics requires that service personnel exhibit good inter-personnel relations with their patients and they are to manage as humanely as possible and states clearly that no illegal fees should be charged any patient.

Further, he said, any member of the service who misconducts himself will be subjected to disciplinary measures as outlined in the code of discipline document.

Dr. Anemana said everything was being done to ensure that manpower situation in health institutions in the region improves adding that intake into the Effia-Nkwanta Nursing and Midwifery College has been increased.

He said a new community health nursing training school would be opened at Sefwi Wiawso this year and a health care training programme to turn out auxiliary staff to support few nurses in the wards has started. Dr. Anemana said lack of accommodation has contributed for shortage of doctors in the region, pointing out that retired staff of the service in the metropolis have over the years continued to live in their official bungalows.

He said the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital is the training hospital where young doctors who come into the region are groomed before they are transferred to other hospitals in the region. Dr. Anemana said accommodation must at all times be available at the hospital to receive junior doctors transferred to the region and lack of accommodation has not made it possible for junior doctors to come to the region for the past three years.

Dr. Kofi Sabeng, Medical Director of the Takoradi hospital said the hospital has only two doctors, including himself and an ophthalmologist and 45 nurses.

He said the hospital realised eight point five million cedis following an appeal for funds towards the renovation of the male ward. Dr. Sabeng said in order to deal promptly with concerns of patients, a complaint unit has been established at the general office. He said the hospital was being renovated in phases and appealed to organizations and individuals to assist.