Tamale Teaching Hospital has made gains in providing quality tertiary health care — CEO

The Acting Chief Executive officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Atiku Adam says the facility has made giant strides in its mission of providing quality tertiary health care in the country.

Addressing health professionals, traditional rulers and other stakeholders today Thursday 4th April, 2024 during the facility 2023 Annual performance review, he chalked the successes of the hospital including supporting training of health professionals and their research work.

He recalled that the hospital had two hundred bed and a staff strength of less than three hundred when it was upgraded to a teaching hospital, adding that, only basic services in the areas of obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery as well as basic medical services were provided.

“I am happy to report that Tamale Teaching Hospital is now a sprawling 812 bed capacity facility with over 3,500 staff providing specialised and sub-speciality medical services to our cherished clients. As well, we do not only fully train our medical doctors here,but now also train specialist doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals in all medical specialities but few”.

According to him, a polyclinic has been established in the facility to cater for patients with primary health problems, since the hospital has records increases in Out Patients Department (OPD) attendance from 7,9000 in 2021 to 18,0000 in 2023.

He mentioned that the teaching hospital has acquired two brand new dental chairs with support from Bank of Ghana, which is in preparation to start dentistry training at the facility.

He added that, “the tale of TTH will not not be complete without acknowledging the support we have received from strategic partnerships and collaborations. Notable among these have been the Academic Model for the provision of Access to Healthcare. Through their support, TTH and UDS just took delivery of BSL 2 and 3 Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory which will be set up on the TTH campus to enhance diagnostics services and research. Through this partnership as well, a 3 million USD grant has been received for the construction of a state of the art simulation centre to facilitate training and research in TTH and the UDS”.

Dr. Atiku however indicated that the challenges facing the hospital as they observe fifty years of health service delivery is the expansion of the infrastructure, equipments, uninterrupted power and water supply.

He expressed worried over the increase of maternal mortality from 719 per 100,000 live births in 2021 to 1,210 per 100,000 live births in 2023, but was quick to add that the facility has taken pragmatic step with the Ghana Health service to work out modalities to reduce the rate.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and special guest of honor for the occasion, Alhaji Hafiz Adam bemoaned the poor attitudes of the hospital staff. “Situations of conflicting interests where staff have their own healthcare facilities competing with TTH for clients and resources, and most recently the resurgence of the mass exodus of health professionals are among some of the internal challenges affecting the hospital's operations”.

He stated that the Ministry of Health is working diligently to address the most pressing needs of health facilities in the country with the little resources available.

“Ghana is counting on us as health workers, and especially in the case of TTH which is the only tertiary referral facility in these parts of the country, the need for us to be exceptional in our day-to-day operations cannot be overemphased. I therefore wish to implore the management and staff of this noble Institutions, to continue on the path of changing the narrative so that come ten, twenty years down the line, we can be proud and point to the individual and collective contributions we have made in creating a new TTH”. He said

Alhaji Hafiz noted that without a change of mindset and a tenacity will to succeed, the mantra of changing the narrative of the hospital will remain a dream.

He further commended the governing board, management and staff of the facility for steering the affairs of the hospital to its current State.

The Northern Regional Health Director, Dr. Abdulai said his outfit is proud to be associated with the Tamale Teaching Hospital as the major referral centre in the five Regions of the north.

According to him the two Institutions should work like Siamese twins, share both material and human resources towards the delivery of quality health services to the good people of the north and Ghana at large.

The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shanni Alhassan Shahibu urged management of the hospital to continue working towards the realization of Institution goals and objectives.

The event was under the theme: "TTH @50: Changing the Narrative: Repositioning for Excellence."