Tema, May 8, GNA - A total of 207,329 Out-Patient Department (OPD), cases were handled by medical personnel of the Tema General Hospital in 2008 as against 180,914 cases in 2007, representing 14.6 per cent increase.

Dr. Mrs Charity Sarpong, Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, who disclosed this when the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, paid a working visit to the hospital, on Wednesday, said that out of the figure quoted for 2008, 140,526 were females while 66,803 were males. Dr. Sarpong said 69,712, representing 33.6 per cent of the patients, registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while 137,617 of the patients were non-insured. She said the patients reported malaria, hypertension, pregnancy related conditions, skin diseases, diabetes, Acute Renal Infections, anaemia and eye infections to the hospital.

Dr. Sarpong said 2,509 male babies and 2,104 female babies under one year old attended the OPD while 10,749 children under five years of age reported to the facility in 2008. She said the hospital, which had 280 beds in its 10 wards, admitted a total of 19,685 patients in 2008 out of which 13,800 and 5,885 were females and males respectively. Dr. Sarpong said that the hospital recorded a total of 851 deaths in 2008 and 687 deaths in 2007, adding that the deceased were non-insured clients. She appealed to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to post more doctors and specialists to the hospital to enable it provide quality health care. Dr. Sarpong said that despite the high attendance recorded by the hospital, its' staff was inadequate as it had a total of 700 personnel, including seven specialists, 20 general duty doctors, 321 nursing staff and 148 paramedics.

She mentioned poor infrastructure, insufficient staff accommodation and lack of pathologists as well as inadequate funds for refurbishing the mortuary, which had been closed, as some of the constraints facing the hospital.

Dr Sarpong said that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), had failed to recognize the complexity of the work of the hospital, leading to the payment of its claims using the district level tariffs, which according to her might compromise service provision. She said that delays in the re-imbursement of submitted NHIS claims by the various schemes negatively affect the implementation of budgeted programmes and policies of the hospital. Dr Yankey, who toured the various departments of the hospital, expressed displeasure at the weak condition of the hospital building and inadequate facilities, especially at the OPD and the maternity wards. He gave the assurance that the Ministry would collaborate with other stakeholders to source for funds to give the hospital a facelift, which would include the construction of modern accident centre and morgue. The Minister commended the staff for their dedication to work and promised them improved conditions of the service.