KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL UNDER PRESSURE (PAGE 30)

INADEQUATE facilities and logistics at public health institutions in the Kumasi metropolis have put pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), making it diffficult for medical workers there to deliver to the satisfaction of patients.
It is, therefore, important at this time for other health institutions in the metropolis to be adequately equipped to enable them complement KATH in providing quality health services.
The acting Chief Executive of KATH, Professor Ohene Adjei, told the Daily Graphic that unlike Accra where the 37 Military Hospital, the Police Hospital, the Ridge Hospital, the La Polyclinic, among others were adequately staffed with medical workers, logistics and facilities to complement the work of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in its healthcare delivery, Kumasi had only KATH.
He, therefore, appealed to the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to initiate projects that would strengthen public health institutions in the metropolis.
"When I took office, I realised that there were serious challenges affecting quality healthcare at both the KATH Polyclinic and laboratories," he stated, adding that problems at both places needed to be addressed, urgently to ensure that medical workers provided the kind of services their patients needed from them.
Prof. Adjei said these were two critical areas which needed serious attention, saying the polyclinic was always choked with patients, while the laboratories were not functioning due to the lack of reagents, adding that some of the equipment at the laboratories had also broken down, making it impossible for them to operate effectively.
He said due to inadequate logistics and facilities at the other public health institutions such as the Sofoline, Tafo, Manhyia and Agogo hospitals, even common malaria was sent to KATH for treatment, thus swelling the number of patients.
"This is affecting the quality of service delivery at KATH because it is the only public health institution with the capacity and medical staff to provide the requisite healthcare services for patients," he stated.
He said the problem at the polyclinic was the delay in serving patients and gave the assurance that his office was looking for means of addressing human resource constraints base to enhance quick service delivery.