The Upper East Region have many developmental challenges to grapple with, among them being Poor roads, poor educational facilities, unemployment, and poor leadership but key among them is poor health facilities.
The Upper East region has a population of about 1,046,545 per the 2010 population census. The region however has not got a Standardised Hospital befitting to be called a Regional Hospital that should serve as a referral Hospital to the health centres and few clinics.
The only facility that serves as a Regional Hospital have been described by many patrons as a death trap rather than a life saving facility. The facility can not provide the most essential services expected of a Regional Hospital.
During a visit by the Regional Minister, Hon.Stephen Yakubu, to the Upper East Regional Hospital to interact with the staff as part of a working visit, the staff and management put bare the numerous challenges grappling the Hospital. Most of the machines are obsolete which frequently breakdown with some of the equipments not functioning at all.
The staff said the none availability of the necessary equipments and the frequent breakdown of the obsolete ones is making work difficult and demoralising .
Some of the staff who were bold to stand in the face of the minister to request for transfer out of the region, cited the inability of government and management to fit the facility with standard and modern equipments and the limited space in the congested old facility as reasons for their request to leave the region.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu, expressed concern about the inability of government to operationalise the newly constructed Upper East Regional Hospital edifice since its completion 5 years ago.
The new edifice of the Hospital was completed in 2016 by the then NDC government before they exited power. The only thing that was required to operationalise the facility was the necessary equipments needed in the various units.
The NPP government since assuming power has failed to procure and fit the various units of the facility with the needed equipments to make it operational.
The Minister of health in 2019 during a working visit to the region, inspected and interacted with the contractor and was briefed as to the state of the facility.
During an engagement with the media in the region, Hon. Agyeman Manu disclosed that government was about securing a $20m loan facility from the Saudi fund to procure the equipments needed to operationalise the facility.
It’s 2021, three years after the visit by the minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu and the facility is still under key and lock.
The staff of the hospital during a durbar of staff and management with the Upper East Regional Minister , cried out to the Minister to appeal to the contractor to allow them move into the empty facility with their “obsolete machines” .
“our Out Patients Department is not spacious enough for us to accommodate the numerous clients who visit the facility on daily basis. It is the same way with our wards and other departments and it is affecting health delivery in the hospital. We therefore appeal to you to allow us move into the empty new edifice with our obsolete machines for now till the time that government is able to buy the new equipments “ one staff said.
A visibly worried regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu wondered why the facility has not been operationalise for 5 years.
“so if we don’t have the furniture, we don’t have the equipments, can’t we use the old machines and furniture here while we wait for the new ones so we throw this ones away?”
The contractor in response said that will be a discussion between the two parties to consider.
The new edifice will have facilities including x-ray, laboratories, blood Bank,pharmacy, wards,laundry, accident center, emergency ward, and a spacious OPD.
It will be a great sigh of relief to the people of the Upper East Region and the staff of the Upper East Regional Hospital if government priotise the equipping and operationalisation of the new edifice for use by the public and the health personal.
Mr. President, the many unnecessary deaths and transfers to Bawku and Tamale will reduce and lives will be saved with the Operationalisation of the new Hospital Edifice .
By:Simon Agana/mywordfmonline.com