GHS COMMENDED FOR TRANSFORMING TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

RESIDENTS of Tamale have commended the Ghana Health Service for the ongoing transfer of officers at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, which is aimed at ensuring efficiency and improving quality health delivery at the hospital, the only referral one in the north.
They have, however, expressed concern about the decision to include the hospital accountant in the transfers since, according to them, she is the only female member of the management and native on the team.
According to the President of the Concerned Citizens Association (CCAT) of Tamale, a pressure group, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, ‘‘being the only female on the management, the accountant does not only serve as a role model to female students in the area, but also ensures gender balance at the management level’’.
He explained that, ‘‘it is against this background that we are appealing to the Minister of Health to intervene and rescind the decision to transfer the accountant and a few others to ensure harmony and the accelerated development of the hospital.”
Among the senior staff affected by the transfers so far are the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Daniel Tapang and the administrator, Mr George Atampugre.
Their positions have since been taken over by Dr Ken Sagoe and Mr K.K. Boachie respectively.
The association further appealed to government, as matter urgency, to rehabilitate the hospital to befit its status as a referral centre in the northern sector.
They noted that the continuous neglect of the hospital was seriously affecting effective health care delivery in the area.
‘‘At the moment, patients on the third and fourth floors of the main tower block have been relocated to temporary structures while work on the abandoned floors are yet to be completed,’’ the association said.
He added ‘‘since the hospital was constructed over 30 years ago, there has not been any major rehabilitation work on the facility, thus leaving in its wake serious deterioration and gloom.’’
He further observed that, ‘‘although the people of Tamale have made several appeals to past governments to rehabilitate the hospital, these had gone unheeded.’’
Apart from the inadequate health personnel and poor infrastructure, most of the equipment is obsolete, with the rest broken down.
He said even though there are some minor works going on at the ground floor and some parts of the hospital, this could, however, be likened to ‘‘drawing water from the sea with a spoon.’’
According to Mr Daballi, even though past and present government officials have visited the hospital, its fortunes have not changed.