Government has been urged to recruit more trained nurses and doctors to support Ghana’s ailing health system.
National Chairman of Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), Dr Gabriel Bernakuu who made the call says lack of skilled professionals including doctors and nurses is the cause of many deaths in some public hospitals.
“I think these deaths in our various health institutions are very bad and worrying and should be dealt with. I think lack of nurses and doctors in our hospitals is also a cause and so government should take action”, he said on Adom FM’s Morning Show Dwaso Nsem Wednesday.
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His comments follow the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman who died at the Suntreso Government Hospital on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Angela Afriyie Agyemang reportedly died after the health facility refused to attend to her at the labour ward because her husband could not immediately raise GHS500 “Doctor Motivation Fee”.
Angela Afriyie Agyemang later died at the theatre just as her husband had made available the GHS500 fee for which she had been denied medical attention.
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Medical Superintendent of the Suntreso Government Hospital, Dr Thomas Agyarko-Poku has dismissed the allegation.
According to Dr Agyarko-Poku, the deceased was not denied entry to the labour ward because her husband could not raise the money.
Mr Bernakuu, however, described the situation as pure negligence and has called for immediate investigations into the issue.
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He wants the Ministry of Health (MoH) to recruit more health personnel to augment the current number to save lives.
“We still have some shortfalls in patient-nurse ratio. The best thing to do is to resource the sector to have adequate personnel trained and recruited and not allow them to go sit at home doing nothing after their training,” he stated.