Cape Coast, Feb. 18, GNA-Mr John K. Obeng, acting director of University Health Services (UHS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Friday announced that the UCC hospital lost almost 26 million cedis last year through the absconding of patients after treatment.

He explained that the amount reached that much because the hospital authorities, in an attempt not to detain some of the treated patients for their bills to swell further, usually discharged them after promising that they would come later to pay, which they never did. Mr Obeng made the announcement at the end-of -year party of the staff of the hospital, which was also an occasion to take stock of last year's activities and award dedicated and hardworking members of staff. The acting director of UHS advised Ghanaians to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which he described as the only guarantee for people to get quality and affordable health services. He said the hospital is the best in the Central Region in terms of high number of qualified staff, adding that, it has eight doctors and a surgeon at its disposal.

Mr Obeng said last year the maternal and child health care staff delivered their best service by recording a near zero casualty rate, and that baby friendly programmes embarked on by the unit has created awareness among mothers on the importance of breast-feeding. He said with the introduction of the NHIS, there was the need for strategic measures to be put in place to attract many more health professionals into the hospital to enable it cope with the increasing work load.

The director of UHS commended all award winners for working hard to merit them and urged other staff to also work hard this year to emerge as winners next time around.

Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng, Vice-Chancellor of UCC, for his part, expressed happiness that people in the Cape Coast municipality fully patronized the hospital because they now have confidence in it.

He announced that an approval has been given for the construction of a 40-bed emergency ward at the hospital and work on it would start in March this year.

Rev Prof Obeng said a School of Medical Sciences would be established in the university this year and that the hospital has a significant role to play to ensure its success. He called on the hospital authorities to prioritise their use of funds and also urged them to improve upon their income generation activities.

The Vice- Chancellor assured them that the university would provide the hospital with a bus by the end of the year to solve their transportation problem.

Ms Esther Cobbina, a community health nurse, was adjudged the best worker of the year 2005 and she took home as her prize a 21-inch colour television, whiles Mrs Okyere Selby and Ashong Denkey emerged as the second and third best workers respectively, and were given undisclosed prizes.

A total number of twenty-two workers were awarded by the hospital and all the prizes worth 10 million cedis.