The Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Osei Kufour Afreh has urged all managers and staff within the health sector to embrace the use of modern technology and innovation to improve on health care delivery.
He said the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools in the delivery of service would ensure timely services by health professionals with ease while gathering accurate data to make informed decisions.
Dr. Afreh was speaking at a durbar to climax the 90th anniversary celebration of the Lawra Municipal Hospital which was themed “90 years of quality service delivery to the people of Lawra and beyond: successes, challenges and way forward” at Lawra in the Upper West Region.
Dr. Osei Kufour Afreh urged health professional to stick to the ‘Patients Charter’ which defines the general; moral principles and rules and regulations of the health profession.
He bemoaned the lack of commitment among some individuals at the various health facilities and cautioned staff of the Lawra Municipal Hospital against that as it would bring the name of the facility into disrepute.
“Some staff come to work late, do not wait to be relieved of their duties before leaving while some patients are shouted at and not given the needed treatment they deserve. I will seize this opportunity to tell staff to desist from such behaviours and adhere strictly to the code of conduct and procedures of the Ghana Health Service,” he said.
The Lawra Municipal Hospital was established in 1928 with a focus to fight diseases like guinea worm, some communicable diseases and sleeping sickness among others that bedevilled the district at the time.
The 90 year old hospital is a 110 bed capacity with a staff strength of 270. The 90th anniversary sought to celebrate the successes so far, address the current challenges facing the hospital and also to honour some hard working staff.
The Lawra Municipal Medical Superintendent Dr. Justine Dakura said though the hospital has performed well in some thematic areas, the facility is still challenged.
He said “the absence of a hospital fence wall to protect the hospital land, ensure security and prevent stray animals from accessing the facility, the lack of certain critical staff” were among the many challenges that needed to be addressed with some urgency.
The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Amidu Chinnia Issahaku reiterated the need for professionalism among health staff. He admitted that though there may be challenges, workers within the health sector needed to remain committed due to the very sensitive nature of their work.
The MP for Lawra and Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Anthony Karbo supported the facility with 50 beds to help reduce the challenges.
He said the government has secured ambulances for all MMDAs in the country and reassured the chiefs and people of the district that the ambulances would soon be ready and handed over to the municipality for use.
The celebration was attended by Paramount Chief of Lawra, Naa Puo-wele Karbo, some heads of department and staff of the hospital. Gas canisters, stoves, fridges, smocks and citations were given to some deserving past and present staff of the hospital.
Story by Mark Smith and Dennis Bebane
