Half Assini Govt hospital patients pay special levy

OUT AND in-patients at the Half-Assini Government Hospital in the Western Region are paying a special levy of GHc 2 per every visit for the payment of electricity bills and other expenses.

Stakeholders in the area, made up of chiefs, heads of departments, security agencies, out-going assembly members, community-based organisations (CBOs), religious bodies, political party leaders and management of the district assembly approved the levy that was submitted by the hospital authority.

Dr Jonathan Mensah, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said the decision followed directives by the Director General of the Ghana Health Service Office, asking hospitals in the country to charge patients a small fee for payment of electricity bills as government has asked them to foot their own bills.

According to Dr Mensah, the authorities of the hospital have been making frantic efforts to offer quality health delivery at the facility despite the high cost involved.

He said the hospital used to dispense two boxes of paracetamol a day at the facility, but the number had increased to more than three boxes due to the increase in out-patient department (OPD) attendances.

Dr Mensah said the out-patient department cases had jumped from 173 in 2013 to 200 in June this year, adding that “quality health delivery is a prerequisite to national development.”

He said the approval of the levy would enable the hospital to meet some challenges in its quest to provide quality health delivery in the area and also ensure regular power supply.

Mr Paul Agyakwa, administrator of the hospital, mentioned the lack of nurses and midwives as some of the challenges facing the facility.

District Health Director, Mr Joseph Kwame Sampson, expressed his excitement over the approval of the levy, which, according to him, would go a long way to promote quality health delivery at the facility.

Guest of honour at the ceremony, Awulae Annor Adjaye III, paramount chief of Western Nzema Traditional Area, suggested that the fee should be extended to all health facilities in the area.

He said all the needs of the hospitals cannot be met by government alone and appealed to the private sector to support in providing quality health delivery in the country.

The paramount chief said companies operating in the area will be made to pay some amount annually towards health delivery in the area as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Awulae Adjaye called for separate accounts for the levy and suggested that it should be managed by a combined team from the assembly and the hospital to ensure transparency and accountability.

Chairman of the ceremony, Rev Kwasi Archer, urged the people in the community to pay the levy since some districts in the region were paying high levies than that of the Half Assini Hospital.

He said the local council of churches in the area would contribute towards the programme.