Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, has voiced his frustration over the stagnation of essential healthcare projects in the region.
The phenomenon, he observed, is worsening the strain on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and other health facilities when it comes to the provision of quality health care.
Among the critical health projects yet to be put to use is the Sewua Regional Hospital.
The facility is completed but remains non-operational due to the absence of electricity connection and an accessible road network.
Construction of the Afari Hospital has also been stagnated for over four years.
Speaking to JoyNews, the Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang, described this as frustrating.
“Sewua Hospital is completed. It is just left with electricity connection and completion of the access road. The project itself is over GH¢250 million and less than GH¢5 million is needed to start operations.
“Afari Hospital has about 500 beds sitting in weeds for over 4 years. The government needs to be committed to these projects. All we need is a commitment to the projects. Completing many of the uncompleted hospital projects will improve access to quality healthcare,” he said.
Speaking at the Medico-Legal Symposium put together by the Patient Rights Watch Ghana, Dr. Tenkorang attributed the rise of medico-legal cases in Ghana partly to the lack of logistics and structures for healthcare providers to work efficiently and provide quality care.
“Medico-legal cases are getting way too many and it is not all instances that, you can blame the health professional or the manager.
“Hospitals and these health providers need logistics and facilities to work efficiently. If patients receive quality care from improved health facility, they won’t take us to court,” he said.
Additionally, Dr Tenkorang raised concerns about the brain drain in the health sector.
Many graduate skilled nurses are still unemployed for over four years.
According to Dr Tenkorang, these nurses are adding to the number of unemployed youth while their acquired medical skills wither with time.
He is encouraging the government to clear the backlog of unemployed health officers in the country.
“Most of them are leaving but most are also in the house. As far as I know 2020, 2021 and 2022 are still not posted. And the best ones are the ones leaving. So they are not just adding to the numbers but also getting their skills faded.
Employ them to fill the gap. We need to be committed to building a robust health system and that is what I am entreating the government to do,” he said.
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