C/R hospital not covered by exemption policy- Medical Director

Cape Coast, Feb. 21, GNA- The Director of the Central Regional Hospital, Dr Darius Osei Kofi, on Friday explained that the hospital, was not covered by the policy which exempts paupers, the aged and expectant mothers from payment of medical bills, because it was a referral and specialised hospital.

He said in view of this, fees charged at the hospital differed from "the primary and secondary care centres", and that apart from cases referred there, patients had to pay for specialised services rendered to them.

Dr Osei -Kofi, was speaking at an 'open day' organised at the hospital to give members of the public an insight into its operations, as part of activities marking the first anniversary of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Cape Coast.

He however, noted that many people were ignorant about this, and that last year alone, the hospital incurred a total debt of 249.4 million cedis, being bills accruing from the treatment of prisoners, paupers and the aged.

He announced plans to enhance services rendered at the hospital and said the burns, dialysis and intensive care unit (ICU) which has been lying idle since the establishment of the hospital in 1998, due to lack of personnel, would soon become operational, following the training of the requisite personnel.

Dr Osei- Kofi, announced that Aboso Goldfields at Tarkwa, has also donated 100 million cedis towards the reactivation of the unit and that plans were far advanced to complete the hospital's oxygen unit to curtail the situation where the chemical has to be obtained from the Korle Bu teaching hospital.

He said the hospital, which has a staff of 382 and a bed capacity of 226, recorded a total of 79,671 outpatient visits last year as against 70,506 the previous year.

In a related development, the Regional Director of Health services, Dr Aaron Offei, inaugurated a seven- member advisory board for the hospital, as part of the 'open day', with a call on the members to ensure that the hospital becomes a "hospital of choice".

The board, which has Dr Darius Osei Kofi, director of the hospital as chairman, is among others, tasked to get stakeholders to support in the running of the hospital, mobilise funds to enhance its operations, evolve measures to promote its image, as well as link it up with the communities.

Dr Osei- Kofi, commended the regional health directorate for Instituting the board, stressing that it would help the management to know more about the needs and problems of the communities they serve, and gave the assurance that the board would live up to expectation.