Brain Drain hit Swedru Government as Management send S.O.S message to Government for immediate intervention
" The rate at which our Medical professionals especially nurses are leaving Swedru Government hospital to seek greener pastures abroad has become a source of great concern to us, because it is hampering efficient services delivery to patients who troops on daily basis to seek medical treatment, we plead with Government to come to our aid"
The Medical Officer In-change of the Hospital, Dr. Julius Abuku stated these when Swedruman Council of Chiefs led by the Regent of Agona Swedru, Nana Kweku Essieni V visited the facility to interact with Management last Thursday.
According to Nana Kweku Essieni V, the visit was necessary for Nananom to get first hand information about the operations of the Hospital and the way forward to offer quality healthcare delivery to be people in the hospital's catchment area.
Dr. Julius Abuku disclosed that the Hospital was performing credibly adding that in the Half Year review paints a positive picture of the Hospital which serves over 7 Districts namely Agona East and West, Gomoa East, Gomoa Central, Gomoa West, Awutu-Senya West, Lower West Akim and many communities in its catchment area making work at the facility tedious for the limited staff.
" The exodus of 30 of our Medical professionals within the Half Year, has reduced the staff strength of the Hospital to 400 staff including 2 Doctors thus making our job extremely difficult and challenging but we are doing our best to meet the health need of every individual who reports at the facility.
Aside from the above, most of our equipment especially the X-ray machine have become outmoded compelling us to carry out regular maintenance at a high cost. Similarly, infrastructure at the theater remain the same since it was constructed in 1958 and one can imagine the difficulties health workers goes through to carry out their assigned duties efficiently.
In spite of all these difficulties, the Hospital continue to making progress making sure we deliver quality Healthcare system.
In our Half-year review, we recorded 46,000 cases at the facility. We had 41,000 cases at the Out Patient Department (OPD) and 5,000 at the In Patient Department both male and female wards. We had wished all of them could survive but unfortunately 84 death were recorded out of 46,000 cases reported in the Half-year report ,"
According to Dr. Julius Abuku, 666 operations were successfully carried out at the Theater. This includes cases from the Emergency Unit and the Maternity Department.
" It is worthy to note that 1,181 safe delivery was recorded at the maternity Ward with 2 Maternal death, we wish it never happened but God knows best. We thank God we have been able to reduce maternal death and still born babies as were recorded in the previous years.
I want to use this opportunity to thanks Swedruman Council of Chiefs for their immense contribution towards the smooth running of the Hospital, we will continue to be grateful to them for their guidance and counselling.
This visitation is a good to omen for improve services we render to the good people in the hospital's catchment area. We know that Nananom will use this visit to lobby Churches, Cooperate Bodies and individuals for financial support to enable us repair and renovate our equipment and buildings respectively to an appreciable level,"
Regent of Agona Swedru, Nana Kweku Essieni V noted that the visit was to enable Nananom get first hand information about the operations of the hospital and to enable them contribute their quota for the hospital to befit its status as a Government hospital.
He observed that the hospital need financial support to sustain the facility pledging support of Nananom and accordingly appeal to Ghanaians both home and abroad to support management of the hospital.
" Management of Swedru Government Hospital are doing their best and we need to support them to succeed because a healthy people makes a wealthy nation," Nana Kweku Essieni V noted.