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| Dr. Ken Sagoe |
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale
Teaching Hospital Dr. Ken Sagoe, has expressed serious concern over nurses
gaining notoriety in stealing consumables meant for clinical services.
According to the
CEO who appeared to be helpless, the phenomenon if not checked immediately, could
derail the successes chalked within this short period of gaining the status of
a teaching hospital.
Delivering an
address he christened “state of the hospital address” at
the hospital’s 2012 annual performance review meeting, Dr. Sagoe cited gauze,
plasters, gloves, cleaning solutions, spirit, among others, as some of the
consumables that nurses hate to see with their eyes as they pilfered them in
the various wards anytime they were supplied.
He observed
that, Komfo Anokye and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitals had about two to three times
the number of nurses and doctors that the Tamale Teaching Hospital had and for
that matter, common sense would tell everyone that each of the two institutions
should be using more consumables than the Tamale Teaching Hospital. However,
that he noted was rather the opposite saying “they (nurses) steal and sell
these consumables to our suppliers and they [suppliers] have informed
hospital’s officials about it. We’re putting measures in place to stop the
practice and anyone caught will be dealt with”, he warned.
The
performance review meeting was aimed at sharing and exchanging views and
concerns about achievements and challenges with stakeholders. It was also to
chart the way forward for the year 2013 and beyond.
Dr. Sagoe among
other challenges facing the hospital also mentioned that the National Health
Insurance Authourity owed the institution GH¢2.2 million in claims, adding
that was derailing progress because management lacked money to procure a lot of
things and also pay their suppliers.
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| Mrs. Elisabeth Danso, DNS, TTH |
He further
stated that, in 2012, it cost the hospital in excess of GH¢450,000.00 to rent
and maintain accommodation for some key staff. It cost us more than
GH¢1,200,000.00 to retain essential staff, he stressed, and appealed to the
Ministry of Health and the local government authourities to assist.
The number of deliveries in 2012 however
increased over the 2011 number of 7,161 to 7,322. Whereas the number that underwent
caesarian section was 1,845 at a C/S rate of 25 percent, the hospital according
to Dr. Sagoe, recorded 49 maternal deaths, 2 more than the year 2011.
Number of sick neonates or premature
babies admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) almost increased by
100 percent, he disclosed.
Interestingly, the Tamale Teaching
Hospital is now receiving referral cases in endoscopy from Korle-Bu and Tema
Hospitals for specialist care as 1,284 patients were seen and treated in 2012.
Additionally, the hospital is now the leading centre in Ghana for neurosurgery
conditions.
Meanwhile, in its effort to become a
centre of excellence, the number of all categories of staff had seen
unprecedented increases in the last few years. Many nurses had enhanced their
qualifications with degrees and specialized courses. Currently, up to 14 doctors
were in various postgraduate specialist courses in Ghana and abroad. Whereas
two x-ray staff were on scholarship in the United Kingdom doing their
postgraduate (masters), up to 3 laboratory staff were also on their masters
courses while a similar number had returned after training.
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