TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL NOT HAPPY WIT NHIS (PAGE 29, MARCH 1, 2010)

The Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr Ken Sagoe, has expressed concern over the delay by the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to settle huge debts owed the hospital over the years.
The Chief Executive was speaking at this year’s annual health performance review of the Northern Regional Health Directorate in Tamale.
He observed that if the debts were not settled, it could “cripple our operations and therefore affect our mandate of ensuring the delivery of quality health services to the people.”
The CEO further indicated that as a result of the prevailing situation, some service providers were declining to supply the hospital with drugs and other necessary materials to facilitate their work.
On the much anticipated rehabilitation of the hospital, whose structures and facilities had deteriorated over the years, Dr Tagoe gave the assurance that the contract would be signed in a couple of weeks.
“This will then pave the way for the actual work to begin on the rehabilitation works that would include the construction of new structures and the renovation of existing ones”, he said.
The government has already secured funds totalling 39.3 million Euros for the rehabilitation works, which, he indicated, would commence later this year. The CEO affirmed the government’s commitment to upgrading the hospital to befit its status as a teaching hospital.
He said the management was making strides in its recruitment drive to attract the necessary manpower to the facility to ensure effective health delivery services to the people.
According to Dr Sagoe, the hospital recruited a total number of 346 staff members, comprising 26 doctors, 90 nurses and 183 other categories of staff last year.
This brings the total number of doctors to 55 and that of nurses to 303, while the refurbished Intensive Care Unit of the hospital now has a consultant anaesthetist and intensive care specialist.
A neurosurgical unit that was established in the hospital last year is also operational.