System failure is cause of Ghana's poor healthcare - Prof. Frimpong-Boateng

Professor Frimpong Boateng has bemoaned the inability of hospitals to deliver satisfactory healthcare to patients as a result of their huge numbers with little or no access to doctors and technical failure.

He pointed out that quality data gathering, error in documentation in hospitals among others, are part of factors militating against quality health delivery. “There is no tertiary referral hospital in Ghana. We have no facility that is adequately resourced in terms of infrastructure, equipment and manpower that can tackle almost all medical problems.’’


Prof. Frimpong-Boateng made this statement during Ghanaweb's health forum themed“improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery and Patient Safety in Ghana,” held at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.


The veteran politician and medical genius speaking on the topic Quality Hospital Care said “basically, system failure is responsible for Ghana's poor healthcare delivery. It is a fact that Ghana is technologically challenged and therefore, it would continue to have ripple effects on the nation’s healthcare system”.


Sharing statistics with the audience, he reiterated that “expenses on health per capita as at 2011 is USD90 while the global average per capita spending on health is USD948.”

“Currently, Ghana has 2,700 doctors, and this leaves us to a doctor to patient ratio of 1 to 10,000. It is a fact that we need 48,567 doctors to have a ratio of 1 doctor to 500 patients,” he submitted.


The health forum which was convened by Dr. Joseph Boateng, a Physician Specialist, and sponsored by Ghanaweb was graced by the Minister of Health; Hon. Sherry Ayitey, Prof Agyeman Badu Akosa, a Pathology, and Dr. Eli Atikpui, Registrar at the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion.


Visit health.ghanaweb.com/forum2013 for more on the forum