Turn-around time slashed in Ho Municipal Hospital

Ho, Nov. 30, GNA - The turn-around time at the Out-Patient-Department (OPD) of the Ho Municipal Hospital has been cut by several hours following the computerization of processes in the Department. Until now patients to the OPD had to spend the greater part of the day moving from the records department to the history tables through to consultation and the dispensary especially on Mondays when the attendance is heavy.

Dr Kofi Gafatsi Normanyo, the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, told the GNA that it could take a patient not more than one hour to be attended to now. He said the computerization, financed by the Hospital from its internal resources, had eliminated the use of folders which cost the Hospital not less than 4,000 Ghana Cedis to procure. Dr Normanyo said the system had made it easier for many more patients to be attended to by the few doctors. He said the system had also helped the hospital to administer the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) more efficiently. Dr Normanyo said the only challenge being faced was at the dispensary and pharmacy where patients had to spend some time to be attended to. He said the In-Patient department was yet to be connected to the new system.

Madam Christie Dogah, Senior Nursing Officer in charge of the OPD, said the system was helping to curtail patients' impatience, jumping of the queue and ease the pressure on nurses and doctors in the OPD. She said patients could now not escape from paying the appropriate fees because of the built-in checks and balances in the new system.