Mr Clifford Vengkumwini, the Sissala East Municipal Director of Health, has decried the seemingly poor image generated from the over-aged X-ray machine, saying it was drawing quality health services backward.
Mr Vengkunmwini also identified critical challenges that were confronting the health sector and preventing the facility from delivering one-stop quality services to the clients in the area in the face of a remarkable increase in outpatient attendance.
He said, “The Municipal hospital runs on an outmoded, x-ray machine that produces poor quality imaging. Hence most clients requiring x-ray services are referred to unfortunately a much younger district for such services and this is delaying access to health care in real time”.
Mr Vengkumwini raised the concern during this year’s health review session of the Ghana Health Service and other partners at Tumu.
The other challenge hampering health services, he said, was patients sharing space with dead bodies.
He explained that “When a death occurs at the hospital, the body is required to be separated from the living immediately but in the case of the Tumu hospital, the situation is different.
“Corpses stay over 24 hours in undesignated areas because there is no morgue for the dead”.
The Director also bemoaned the inadequate laboratory services in the area and its negative effect on quality health care in disease diagnosis for treatment.
“It is sad to note that the Sissala East Municipality has only three laboratories out of eight health centers, a polyclinic and a hospital with 52 CHPS zones.
The remaining health centers need laboratory services to ease the burden of pregnant women having to travel many kilometers on inappropriate means of transport for their routine labs”, he said.
The theme for this year’s review conference was “Fostering Collaboration: Engaging Stakeholders in Reducing Maternal and perinatal Mortalities through a Resilient Healthcare System” which Management carefully selected after a systematic review of the performance.
Maternal and perinatal health are fundamental indicators of the overall well-being of a society and are closely linked to broader issues such as poverty, education, and gender equality.
Mr Vengkumwini highlighted some of the activities that were conducted across the health care facilities, including the capacity building for midwives on the management of postpartum hemorrhage, helping mothers and babies survive, long-acting reversible contraceptives, conducting breast screening for adolescents in schools for early detection of cancers.
He said management also embarked on a data collection exercise to enumerate foreign immigrants.
Dr Damien Punguyire, the Upper West Regional Director of Health, in a speech read on his behalf said the mandate of the health services was to ensure good health for all and implored the partners to bring out issues that would contribute to the growth of the health sector in lifting it from challenges.
Mr Fuseini Yakubu Batong, the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, congratulated the health service staff and advised churches, and mosques to educate their members about the annual warm weather season and the possible outbreak of cerebral spinal meningitis.
Professor Sanlinwia Salifu Mumuni, Principal of the Tumu College of Education, who chaired the function extolled all to take health issues seriously.
GNA
CAE/CA
March 5, 2024
Picture caption: Health staff at the review meeting
