Bolgatanga, Feb. 11, GNA- The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital is currently operating at 50 per cent of its normal capacity due to lack of technical and professional staff, Dr. Amia Aduko, Medical Director of the hospital said on Wednesday.

He said the hospital which has a bed complement of 193 and serves as referral centre for the Upper East Region should have seven specialist Doctors, nine General Medical Officers, and 180 nurses. Instead, there is only one Specialist, five General Medical Officers and 100 nurses, he added.

Dr. Aduko was speaking at the Hospital's Open Day celebration which had as its theme," Eat well, stay healthy and live long". The event was to afford the public and the hospital staff to interact.

The Medical Director said there was also high congestion in the consulting rooms, which affect privacy of the patients and also in the wards where patients sometimes lie on the floor. He said, however, that work to expand and re-equip the hospital was in progress and appealed to individuals and organisations within and outside the region to assist the hospital by adopting wards and helping to keep them in good shape.

The Special Assistant to the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Paul Alloah, expressed concern about persistent complaints about diversion of drugs and other equipment to private stores and urged the staff of the Hospital to desist from that practice.

He said it was rather a pity that majority of the patients who were illiterate would have to go round drug stores in town with prescriptions to get their drugs.

Mr Alloah called on the nurses to be kind and patient to patients, and treat them with compassion so that they would not shy away from going to the hospital when they are sick.

Mr Rockson Bukari, Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, commended the staff of the hospital for doing well and asked relatives of patients to respect the visiting hours.

He assured the hospital that the Assembly's Sanitation Task Force would help to keep the environment clean and also keep away animals from the hospital premises.