Minister for Health visits health facilities in Upper East Region
On the second day of his tour of the Upper East Region, the Hon Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu and his delegation visited some facilities in the region.
They are Bawku Presbyterian Municipal Hospital, Bawku Presbyterian Nurses’ Training College, Mognori Health Centre at Bawku, Builsa District Hospital, Sandema, Navrongo War Memorial Hospital and the Navrongo Health Research Centre.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Bawku, Hajia Hawa Ninchemah and Dr Seidu Sukenibe, Medical Superintendent and Ag. General Manager of the hospital welcomed the Minister and his delegation.
Addressing the delegation, and a cross-section of the staff, Dr Sukenibe said the Presbyterian Municipal Hospital, which is a Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facility, is a 388 bed-capacity, which offer various specialists treatment in such as ophthalmology and gynaecology. The facility has seven medical officers and is one of the oldest hospitals in the area that continue to receive support from the government.
He enumerated some of the challenges of the hospital, which included lack of ambulances in the region, delayed payment of NHIS claims, and poor road network in the area, which affect the effective work in cases of referrals.
The Honourable Minister assured the management and staff of the Presbyterian Municipal Hospital of Ministry’s support. He explained the purpose of his visit, which was to motivate them, know their challenges and suggestions, which are invaluable for quality decision making to enhance quality health care delivery in the area.
He disclosed that President Akufo-Addo’s government, through the Ministry of Special Business Initiatives, is procuring 275 ambulances for districts in the country, and will be ready by the second quarter of 2019. The Ministry is also making efforts to add 100 ambulances to the fleet.
Hon Agyeman-Manu also revealed that the government is also considering attractive packages for health personnel who accept posting to the northern part of the country.
He then visited the Presbyterian Nurses’ Training College, which was established in 1988 and has a population of 313. The Principal of the school, Madam Rhoda Damata Subari, welcoming the Hon. Minister appealed to the government to expand accommodation facilities in the school since the students currently outnumber the rooms available.
The Minister advised the students against the use of Tramadol and narcotics, which can ruin their future career. He announced that payment of nurses’ trainee allowances will commence in March 2019 and that the Controller and Accountant General’s Department will release funds for the purpose.
The delegation continued to the Mognori Health Centre and was welcomed by Madam Janet Bolsong, a physician assistant in charge of the facility. The two-bed capacity health centre serves a population of 18,243. It has an Out Patients Department (OPD) and family planning units. Maternal health cases are referred to Bawku Presbyterian Municipal hospital.
Other health facilities the team visited were Builsa District Hospital, Sandema, Navrongo War Memorial Hospital and the Navrongo Health Research Centre.