The only referral hospital in the Western Region, the Effia-Nkwanta Government Hospital, has been badly hit by the brain drain syndrome, as large numbers of medical and nursing staff have deserted or are deserting the facility.
For the last 12 months, 40 staff, including medical doctors, Nurses, laboratory staff and Pharmacists have reportedly left the facility.
The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambiri, who disclosed this to the media, added that currently 100 staff have applied for leave without pay.
Applying for leave without pay, according to the Medical Director, was a strong warning that they might not come back.
This situation, he noted, was denying the health facility staff and skill needed to offer best of services.
“For now, there is very little management can do about it so we ask the media to help save the healthcare sector”.
The Medical Director, underlining the rationale behind the media engagement, indicated that looking at the lofty ideas the hospital is looking forward to implement, it was important that they engaged the media for them to communicate their message to the public.
“We are doing a good job and we can’t achieve everything if we don’t have support of the media,” he said, adding that “we need to also educate the public about our work. So we need the media to do this education on our half and understand the context within which we work”.
According to Kojo Tambil, the hospital is currently being redeveloped into a regional hospital, but they are currently facing financial challenges and cannot, therefore, tell whether the 2025 deadline would be met or not.
He, however, mentioned that works on the Regional Infectious Centre (RIC) was 80% complete and that plans were far advanced for procurement of equipment to furnish it. According to him, a number of Oxygen plants sponsored by UNICEF had been procured and that the machines would soon be fixed.
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)
Medical Director Tambiri also told the media that Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been established at the facility and is currently working. But for the ICU, the Medical Director added, the recent premix explosion at Ngyiresia could have taken a number of lives. “It’s a good thing but we have challenges with staffing and equipment”.
According to him, Referral Call Center has also been established to handle all referrals in the region. The idea is to take first-hand information before patients arrive, plus information on cost of the use of the facility.
Dialysis Services, he mentioned, were still available at the facility and that a new state of the art machine had even been acquired and would soon be installed.
FUNDING PROJECT
Dr. Kojo Tambiri further revealed to the media plans management of the hospital have to restructure the maternity ward. The idea is to divide the ward into cubicles so that pregnant mothers would safely deliver in the presence of their family.
He also mentioned VIP Ward and Stroke unit that the facility has plans of establishing. These projects would need money to execute.
As a result, he called on philanthropists, corporate Ghana and indigenes of the region to buy into the idea and sponsor the projects.
The media engagement was attended by Michael Danso, Head of Administration, Dr. Edward Amihere, Clinical Coordinator, Esther Assabil, Deputy Head of Nursing amongst others.
