Tamale Central Hospital needs midwives -Dr Bampoh
Health care delivery at the Tamale Central Hospital in the Northern Region is likely to be affected in the next five years if more midwives are not posted to the facility.
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Currently, the hospital has 20 midwives instead of the required 50 with which it can operate efficiently. In addition to this challenge, attendance to the facility, especially by pregnant women and lactating mothers, has gone up.
The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Patrick Bampoh, stated that during a get-together for staff of the hospital in Tamale.
According to him, the situation had worsened because of the increasing number of midwives who were either going on retirement or had already gone on retirement or were about to retire.
Dr Bampoh explained, for instance, that in 2012, three midwives went on retirement and in 2013, two went on retirement.
He said this year, four midwives would go on retirement, hence the need to address the challenge immediately.
Dr Bampoh observed that more staff members were needed in the laboratory, pharmacy and records departments of the hospital.
He stated that the hospital had initiated some steps to help address those challenges.
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Dr Bampoh said the hospital had started sponsoring community health nurses as a way of addressing the issue.
He announced plans by the hospital management to improve on security at the facility, thus its resolve to complete the fence wall project as soon as practicable.
"We have also renovated some structures at the hospital, including the Records Department, laundry and stores, among others, and the main structure for the walkways linking most of the wards have been completed," he noted.
He further stated that in 2014, investigations into such health issues related to hormones and microbiology would be undertaken, hence the need for more health personnel in that direction.