Greater Accra Regional Hospital appeals for phase II expansion
The Management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) has appealed to the government to commence work on the expansion of the second phase of the hospital to serve the growing patient population.
The acting Medical Director, Dr Leslie Issa Adam-Zakariah, who made the appeal at a durbar to climax the 2025 Jaundice Week Celebration at the hospital’s premises, said it would help to address the growing infrastructure and service demands.
He said the hospital’s current infrastructure was overstretched due to increasing patient numbers, particularly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where jaundice cases were routinely managed.
“Expanding this facility has become an urgent priority and a vital step toward meeting the growing healthcare needs of our patients.
“The phase two will enhance our capacity to deliver quality, timely care across key departments, especially for vulnerable newborns.”
The durbar, which crowned a week of public education and community engagement on neonatal jaundice, also featured a keynote address, health talks and skits about the appropriate steps to take for early detection of jaundice.
Dr Adam-Zakariah commended the NICU team for their life-saving work.
He reaffirmed management’s commitment to improving maternal and child health outcomes and expressed optimism about the government’s response to the hospital’s longstanding infrastructure appeal.
Burden
In a keynote address, a Paediatrician at the hospital, Dr Akakpo Ashiadey, said while jaundice was a common issue, affecting 20 to 25 per cent of newborns in his unit, it required prompt and accurate diagnosis.
Health professionals and parents at the event
He urged healthcare professionals to move away from traditional visual inspection methods, which he said could be subjective.
Instead, he advocated blood tests or the use of transcutaneous bilirubin (TCB) devices to obtain objective measurements of bilirubin levels.
He further called for enhanced training for healthcare workers, both in educational institutions and through ongoing professional development.
He further stressed the need for improved equipment and resources, particularly in peripheral healthcare facilities, to reduce the number of referrals to major hospitals like his.
Dr Ashiadey further cautioned parents against relying on outdated home remedies such as exposing jaundiced babies to sunlight, adding “the timely medical intervention is crucial, as high bilirubin levels can lead to severe complications, including brain damage or death”.
He called on the government and health authorities to prioritise the provision of necessary diagnostic and treatment tools, ensuring that all healthcare facilities were equipped to effectively manage neonatal jaundice.
