Ada (GAR), Jan. 11, GNA - Out-Patient-Department (OPD) attendance at the Dangme East District Hospital at Ada, in the Greater Accra Region increased from 14,668 in 2006 to 24,530 in 2007. Dr Philip Kwaku Narh, Medical Superintendent of the Hospital made this known to the Ghana News Agency at Ada during an awards ceremony of the medical facility.

He said the figure shot from 24,530 to 29,578 during the year under review.

Dr Narh said this could be attributed to the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the eye outreach services carried out in the communities and schools and the provision of specialist services rendered by visiting surgeons and gynaecologists. He said malaria, acute eye infection and respiratory infection, rheumatism and joint pains, hypertension, shin diseases and ulcers, gynaecological conditions, typhoid fever, diarrhoeal diseases and intestinal worms were the top 10 diseases reported at the OPD from January to December 2008.

Dr Narh said as many as 5,078 females were affected, while 3,168 of the reported cases came from males, giving a total of 8,246 reported cases throughout the year. On admissions from January to December 2006 to 2008, as many as 2,064 patients were admitted in 2006, with the figure increasing to 2,237 the following year.

The figure, he said, rose to 3,164 in 2008. Dr Narh said the causes for admissions from January to December in 2008 included malaria, labour, gastroenteritis, HIV/AIDS, abortions, anaemia, hypertension, septicaemia, pneumonia and typhoid fever. He said from January to December, 2008, many as 439 single births, made up of 222 males and 208 females, with nine still births, were recorded at the hospital.

Dr Narh added that a total of 20 twins, made up of 10 males and 10 females were also delivered at the hospital in 2008. Touching on the challenges facing the hospital, the Medical Superintendent said the foremost was acute shortage of doctors, which had compelled management to engage a locum doctor almost every month. Other problems confronting the hospital include inadequate equipment, lack of residential accommodation for staff and difficulty in attracting medical personnel due to the rural setting of the facility. Sixty five personnel of the hospital were presented with awards, with Mrs Wilhelmina Dora Sarfowa, a nurse, emerging as the over-all best worker. 11 Jan. 10