Severe congestion at the wards and Out-Patients Department (OPD) of the nation’s second largest referral facility, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), has become a major drawback on efforts at improving the quality of care.
Dr. Joseph Akpaloo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the pitiful sight of patients, especially of women in labour, lying on the bare floor to be delivered of babies, with children and adult patients jostling for space to receive treatment, told an awful lot about the gravity of the situation.
He expressed the concern of the management about the state of affairs at a media interaction in Kumasi, and said the only solution was to find the needed resources to complete a maternal and child health block, started 41 years ago.
It is estimated that US$100 million would be required to finish the project to ease the overcrowding.
Dr. Akpaloo said their other challenge had to do with paupers and other needy patients unable to pay their medical bills.
He cited an instance in the past two weeks, where the management had to let go 30 patients kept for six-months after they had been discharged to free the beds, they were occupying.
These people had unpaid medical bills ranging between GH¢3,000 and GH¢7,000.
The CEO also complained about ageing equipment, rising utility bills, high cost of medicines and other consumables, and said these were taking a heavy toll on their finances.
He, however, underlined his resolve to ensure discipline to raise the quality of healthcare.
He blamed many of the deaths that occurred at the facility on late referral of cases by the peripheral hospitals and appealed to doctors at the regional and district hospitals to refer cases on time to save more lives.
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