Tema, Oct.14, GNA - The Tema General Hospital, the biggest referral hospital within Tema Municipality needs expansion to cope with the volume of patients who need health care delivery.

Dr (Mrs) Charity Sarpong, Medical Superintendent in charge of the hospital who made the appeal said problems affecting the staff should also be solved.

Briefing newsmen after a familiarisation visit to the hospital by officials of the Tema Municipal branch of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), on Friday, Dr Sarpong said only 27 medical practitioners attend to between 300 and 400 patients daily. The situation, she said, was so stressful that sometimes, some medical practitioners had to stay behind and work extra hours after their normal working periods.

She conceded that even though staffing problem was not peculiar with the hospital, enough medical practitioners should be posted to the hospital to reduce the workload.

Dr Sarpong said even though the hospital was trying within its means to expand, it needed adequate financial support for the successful implementation of the expansion programme.

She conducted the CHRAJ officials round some of the departments namely, the Fevers Unit, Maternity and Labour Ward, and Consulting Rooms. At the Maternity Ward, it came to light that March to June was the peak period of delivery, and during the period 25 to 30 deliveries were recorded daily.

At the Fevers Unit, some patients who could not afford their medical bills were transferred to the Charity Sisters at Ashaiman. Miss Mercy Mensah-Addo, Acting Sub-Regional Director of CHRAJ who led the team, expressed satisfaction about the work at the hospital and commended the staff for their dedication and devotion to duty. Miss Mensah-Addo said the visit formed part of the Commission's 12th anniversary celebrations under the theme "Developing a Vibrant Human Rights Culture as a Framework for National Development."

She said visit to health facilities was in line with the Commission's vision to shift focus from corruption to economic and social rights of the citizenry.

Miss Mensah-Addo explained that health services delivery and economic empowerment of the people were equally important.

The team also visited Narh-Bita Hospital where Mr Henry Kosi Owusu, Administrator of the hospital, conducted them round.

Mr Owusu said the hospital which was founded on religious principles, had instituted a fund known as the VALERIE Dock Fund, to assist genuine cases of patients who were unable to settle their medical bills.