AIRCRAFT FOR EMERGENCIES
AIRCRAFT FOR EMERGENCIES SEPT. 23, 2009
By PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD, BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A military aircraft will soon be stationed at Tamale to help in emergency situations which involve the airlifting of patients and victims to special hospitals in Accra.
The Upper East Regional minister, Honourable Mark Owen Woyongo said he personally called the defence minister to make the arrangement because he witnessed the avoidable death of a lecturer of the Bolga Polytechnic who could not be airlifted for immediate medical attention as a result of the absence of a standing aircraft for such cases.
The regional minister gave the hint at an emergency press conference at the residency in Bolgatanga. The conference gave the regional health directorate and the regional minister the opportunity to react to a Joy FM news item on Wednesday which alleged that the refusal of doctors and other health professionals to accept postings to the Upper East Region is as result of sabotage by the medical superintendent of the Bolga Regional Hospital , Dr. Amia Aduko.
Mr. Woyongo however noted that the regional hospital has over the past few years been losing its staff to well-endowed regions while other staff also leave to further their education and in most cases do not return after completion. A good number of the Cuban doctors have also left the region thus causing acute shortage of staff.
He therefore made a passionate appeal to doctors of Upper East descent to return home to help cater for the health needs of the region’s people. He has also directed all municipal and district assemblies to sponsor at least five students every year to read medicine and bond them to serve in the districts after completion.
The Upper East Regional health director, Dr. KokuAwoonor Williams in his submission observed that the Bolga regional hospital is in crisis as a referral centre since it does not have the needed man power to handle all such cases brought before it.
Doctor Awoonor-Williams disclosed that three of the nine districts in the region do not have hospitals whilst those with hospitals lack adequate staff. For instance the Bongo district hospital which is supposed to serve a population of about 100,000 has no medical doctor.
He said the regional health directorate has redeployed two of eight doctors of the Navrongo Health Research Centre to other health centres to handle clinical duties. There have also been discussions with the director general of the Ghana Health Service to post more doctors to the Upper East.
The Regional Health Director however debunked the allegation by Joy FM saying the numerous refusals of postings to the region cannot be attributed to sabotage by the medical superintendent at the regional hospital.
He believes the lack of better incentives and proper accommodation facilities are the reasons for health professionals refusing postings to the Upper East. He said for instance, close to 90 per cent of health workers in the Bongo district reside in Bolgatanga and commute to work daily as a result of limited accommodation.
Dr. Awoonor-Williams disclosed that two abandoned bungalows at Sandema, one at Bongo and another two at Paga have been acquired and are being renovated to house health personnel who will be posted to those areas.
A deputy administrator at the Bolgatanga regional hospital, Mr. Lucio G. Dery also appealed to the regional co-ordinating council to direct all assemblies to construct befitting bungalows in their districts to further augment the accommodation situation facing health workers in the rural areas.
By PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD, BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A military aircraft will soon be stationed at Tamale to help in emergency situations which involve the airlifting of patients and victims to special hospitals in Accra.
The Upper East Regional minister, Honourable Mark Owen Woyongo said he personally called the defence minister to make the arrangement because he witnessed the avoidable death of a lecturer of the Bolga Polytechnic who could not be airlifted for immediate medical attention as a result of the absence of a standing aircraft for such cases.
The regional minister gave the hint at an emergency press conference at the residency in Bolgatanga. The conference gave the regional health directorate and the regional minister the opportunity to react to a Joy FM news item on Wednesday which alleged that the refusal of doctors and other health professionals to accept postings to the Upper East Region is as result of sabotage by the medical superintendent of the Bolga Regional Hospital , Dr. Amia Aduko.
Mr. Woyongo however noted that the regional hospital has over the past few years been losing its staff to well-endowed regions while other staff also leave to further their education and in most cases do not return after completion. A good number of the Cuban doctors have also left the region thus causing acute shortage of staff.
He therefore made a passionate appeal to doctors of Upper East descent to return home to help cater for the health needs of the region’s people. He has also directed all municipal and district assemblies to sponsor at least five students every year to read medicine and bond them to serve in the districts after completion.
The Upper East Regional health director, Dr. KokuAwoonor Williams in his submission observed that the Bolga regional hospital is in crisis as a referral centre since it does not have the needed man power to handle all such cases brought before it.
Doctor Awoonor-Williams disclosed that three of the nine districts in the region do not have hospitals whilst those with hospitals lack adequate staff. For instance the Bongo district hospital which is supposed to serve a population of about 100,000 has no medical doctor.
He said the regional health directorate has redeployed two of eight doctors of the Navrongo Health Research Centre to other health centres to handle clinical duties. There have also been discussions with the director general of the Ghana Health Service to post more doctors to the Upper East.
The Regional Health Director however debunked the allegation by Joy FM saying the numerous refusals of postings to the region cannot be attributed to sabotage by the medical superintendent at the regional hospital.
He believes the lack of better incentives and proper accommodation facilities are the reasons for health professionals refusing postings to the Upper East. He said for instance, close to 90 per cent of health workers in the Bongo district reside in Bolgatanga and commute to work daily as a result of limited accommodation.
Dr. Awoonor-Williams disclosed that two abandoned bungalows at Sandema, one at Bongo and another two at Paga have been acquired and are being renovated to house health personnel who will be posted to those areas.
A deputy administrator at the Bolgatanga regional hospital, Mr. Lucio G. Dery also appealed to the regional co-ordinating council to direct all assemblies to construct befitting bungalows in their districts to further augment the accommodation situation facing health workers in the rural areas.
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