Fiapre (B/A), Feb. 1, GNA - The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) owed the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital in Sunyani GHC 1,988,977.12 as at December last year.

This has affected the financial base of the hospital, making it difficult for the health facility to buy basic logistics and inputs since suppliers are not ready to sell on credit to the hospital. Management of the hospital has therefore appealed to the National Health Insurance Authority to try as much as possible to defray the accumulated debt to keep the hospital running. This was contained in a statement issued by the management and Advisory Board of the hospital and read by Nana Afari Mintah II, chairman of the advisory board at the end of the 2009 performance review meeting at Fiapre near Sunyani.

Deliberations at the three-day meeting centred on maternal mortality, staff attitude, accommodation, logistics, infant mortality among others. The statement said the hospital did not have all the required staff that a regional hospital required and some basic cases have had to be referred to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.

It appealed to the authorities to post more surgeons, physicians, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, obstetric and gynaecologists, nurses and others to make full complement of a regional hospital The statement mentioned inadequate residential accommodation for staff, encroachment on hospital lands and lack of CT Scan machine as some challenges that faced the hospital and appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to assist it to acquire a CT Scan machine. This will save patients from the ordeal of travelling to Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for the facility, the statement added. Dr. Daniel Asare, Medical Director, said the hospital, which had only 13 doctors and 72 nurses in 2003 now has 53 doctors and 200 nurses and attended to more than 20,000 Out Patient Department cases. He said in spite of the numerous challenges enumerated, the hospital was steadily progressing indicating that OPD cases had also increased as a result of the NHIS.

Dr. Asare however noted that maternal and infant mortality rates were still on the ascendancy and appealed to pregnant women to secure regular antenatal services. 01 Feb 10