The Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, has expressed his frustration over the stagnation of essential healthcare projects in the region.
This phenomenon, he noted, is exacerbating the strain on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and other health facilities, hindering the provision of quality health care.
Among the critical health projects that remain unused is the Sewua Regional Hospital. Despite being completed, the facility is non-operational due to the lack of an electricity connection and an accessible road network.
Additionally, the construction of the Afari Hospital has been stalled for over four years.
Speaking to JoyNews, Dr. Tenkorang described the situation as deeply frustrating.
“Sewua Hospital is completed. It is just left with electricity connection and completion of the access road. The project itself is over GHS250 million and less than GHS5 million is needed to start operations.
“Afari Hospital has about 500 beds sitting in weeds for over 4 years. The government needs to be committed to these projects. All we need is a commitment to the projects. Completing many of the uncompleted hospital projects will improve access to quality healthcare,” he said.
Speaking at the Medico-Legal Symposium organized by Patient Rights Watch Ghana, Dr. Tenkorang attributed the increase in medico-legal cases in Ghana partly to the lack of logistics and proper infrastructure for healthcare providers. He emphasized that these deficiencies hinder efficient work and the provision of quality care.
“Medico-legal cases are getting way too many and it is not all instances that, you can blame the health professional or the manager.
“Hospitals and these health providers need logistics and facilities to work efficiently. If patients receive quality care from improved health facility, they won’t take us to court,” he said.
Additionally, Dr. Tenkorang raised concerns about the brain drain in the health sector, noting that many skilled nurses have been unemployed for over four years.
According to Dr. Tenkorang, these nurses are contributing to the increasing number of unemployed youth while their medical skills deteriorate over time. He urged the government to address the backlog of unemployed health officers in the country.
“Most of them are leaving but most are also in the house. As far as I know 2020, 2021 and 2022 are still not posted. And the best ones are the ones leaving. So they are not just adding to the numbers but also getting their skills faded.
“Employ them to fill the gap. We need to be committed to building a a robust health system and that is what I am entreating the government to do,” he said.