By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
Lawyer Theophilus Dzimega Jnr has called for greater attention to the environment and support systems within Ghana’s healthcare facilities, stressing that the way patients are treated is as important as the medicine they receive.
Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show, he argued that many Ghanaians shy away from public hospitals not only because of long waiting times, but also because of the unwelcoming conditions.
“Sometimes we don’t have situations where people are able to vent or air,” he said, adding that private facilities often attract more patients because they make people feel confident and happy.”
He drew comparisons between his experience in a London hospital and those in Ghana. While the foreign facility created a calm and reassuring atmosphere, local hospitals are often plagued by poor sanitation, strong medicine odours, and inadequate patient engagement.
“The stench alone with all the medicine mixed with the gutter, will make you uncomfortable. And look at the children—they are already scared of needles,” he remarked.
Dzimega Jnr urged government and NGOs to invest in modernised facilities, cleaner environments and stronger patient-support systems to make health services more humane and attractive to the public.
“Sometimes what you even go through or experience before the treatment heals you,” he concluded.
