Effia Nkwanta to become teaching hospital

The Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH) at Sekondi in the Western Region will soon receive medical students from the University of Cape Coast to make the hospital a full-fledged Teaching Hospital to churn out more medical doctors.

In this light ENRH has prepared itself by acquiring many hospital equipment for the laboratories and other basic departments to commence medical studies.

The Medical Director of ENRH, Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambil disclosed this at the maiden Open Day celebration of the hospital recentlyt on the theme “Leave no One’s Health behind: Invest in Health Systems for all”.

He said the hospital administration had seen it to be prudent to train medical students to meet the rising need of medical doctors in the region and beyond.

He said the community relations of the hospital and the communities surrounding  had improved tremendously because more attention was now given to clients in terms of services by staff of ENRH than the previous times.

He disclosed that management of tuberculosis (TB) in the hospital was one of the best in the country if not the best due to more attention coupled with frequent monitoring and visitation to such patients.

Dr Tambil regretted that the health facility had become a dumping place for all unidentified dead bodies making the mortuary to be full always adding “not less than 20 unidentified dead bodies are dumped at the facility every month”.

He said the worse scenario was the fee the Environmental Department of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly charged before the burial of these unidentified bodies.

He appealed to the Western Regional Minister, Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah to see to it that the charge imposed by STMA was scrapped because it was a huge burden on the hospital.

The medical director said before the current management took over there was a big gap between management and the other staff that created much disrespect and mistrust from the juniorstaff to the seniors.

He complained about dilapidated buildings which for decades had not seen any renovation especially staff accommodation where rent was paid but not given to the hospital for the maintenance of the buildings.

Dr Tambil said the hospital had received a Maxillofacial surgeon who would do marvellous work including complex jaw reconstruction, tumour removal and pallet surgery.

He re-emphasized the need for the Western Regional Health Directorate, the Coordinating Council to help management in pushing for the payment of some of the bills especially money used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, patients.

The chairperson of the planning committee, Dr. Nana Esi Gaisie in her remarks said now that the world was marking the universal health access day, all hospitals must make the facilities an open arena and secured for people to patronise easily for proper health care.

From Peter Gbambila, Effia Nkwanta