Treatment of Buruli ulcer exerts pressure Dunkwa hospital resources

The Government Hospital at Dunkwa-On-Offin spends about 10 million cedis on the treatment of Buruli ulcer patients every month.

The treatment involve feeding, surgery, drugs and dressing of wounds.

The Upper Denkyira District Director of Health Service, Dr Erasmus Klutse said this at Dunkwa-on-Offin on Thursday while briefing the Central Regional Minister Mr Isaac Edumadze, when he visited the Hospital as part of his two-day working tour of the Upper Denkyira District.

Dr Klutse said the hospital recorded 43 cases of Buruli ulcer last year and had 22 new cases this year.

The Hospital had so far recorded a total of 818 cases between 1998 and 2002, he said.

He said the government had not reimbursed the Hospital that the amount spent on the care and management of the Buruli ulcer patient though they were on the exemption list.

Dr. Klutse said the situation had put a lot of financial strain on the Hospital and the District Health Directorate.

He, therefore, appealed to the Regional Health Directorate to help to relieve the hospital of its burden.

The District Director mentioned lack of accommodation for staff, expansion of the mortuary and the provision of nursery and incubators as some of the problems facing the Hospital.

He said that following the commitment and dedication of the staff, maternal mortality rate dropped from 21 in 2001 to two last year while measles cases also dropped from 112 to 23.

Reported cases of HIV/AIDS for last year were 86 while 15 new cases have been reported so far this year.

Addressing the staff of the hospital after inaugurating the District Health Committee and the Hospital Advisory Management Committee, Mr Edumadze said the government was committed to the provision of quality health services to the people.

He, however, maintained that the government alone could not shoulder such a responsibility and called for community participation.

Mr Edumadze said the inauguration of the committees was to involve the communities in managing their various hospitals.

He appealed to the committees to work hard to ensure that government policies and programmes relating to health were fully realised, especially the National Health Insurance Scheme.