Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Amidu Chinnia has called on health professionals in the region to discharge their duties in a professional manner in the midst of challenges they face at their facilities.
This he said was necessary to enable the country to meet the Universal Health Coverage we are currently committed to achieve as a nation.
The Deputy Minister said this during the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Lawra Municipal Hospital in Lawra on the 22nd March 2019.
He called for the need to improve upon treatments given to patients when they visit health facilities. “We also need to improve our client services skills as healthy professionals so that we can handle the sick well and give them the best of services when they visit our facilities” he added.
Hon Chinnia disclosed that the collaboration of the Lawra Hospital and the Municipal Assembly in the past has resulted in the construction of a morgue, children’s ward, surgical ward and doctor’s bungalow. He added that the Assembly also continuous to give some supports to motivate doctors to stay and work in the facility.
He noted that, efforts were underway to get a fence wall and a modern Accident and Emergency Centre constructed and as well establish a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
He assured Health facilities that the NHIA has received clearance from the Central Government to defray all arrears owed in the region.
“Let me state that Government is committed to ensuring that the NHIS works for the benefit of the poor and the vulnerable across the country. Government has cleared some of the arrears owed the NHIA and we are hoping that the Authority will settle the arrears they owe to health facilities in the region to help them operate well,” he added.
The Regional Director of the Health service Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, addressing the gathering said the theme for the celebration “90 Years of Quality Health Service Delivery to the People of Lawra and Beyond: Success, Challenge and way Forward” was most suitable as critically examining the past, present and future aspirations of Health Service at the facility needed to be looked at.
Dr. Afreh indicated that as an old health facility, the Lawra Hospital deserved better and more infrastructure to measure up to current health demands. He called on government to provide some critical infrastructure such as, fence wall to protect the facility, construction of a modern Accident and Emergency Ward, provision of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit among others.
The Member of Parliament for the constituency Hon. Anthony Karbo presented a first batch of 50 beds to the facility awaiting 100 more beds in the coming months.
He assured that, procurement process has been completed for the construction of a fence wall around the hospital and that by the end of April, the sod would be cut for work to begin.