Sekyere East Health Directorate on course … In spite of inadequate staff, vehicles, accommodation

THE doctor to patient ratio in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region, which consists of 38 communities, and has a population of 85,702, with four sub-districts, namely Effiduase, Asokore, Nyanfa and Mponua, presently stands at 21, 426, according to Mr. Dominic Dobbin, the District Director of the Ghana Health Service.

The district has six health facilities, comprising the Effiduase and Ahmadiyya hospitals and the Senchi, St. Luke's, Okaikrom, and Akokoaso Health Centres. Presenting a report at the 2009 annual performance review meeting at Effiduase recently, the Health Director said even though the Effiduase Government Hospital has one resident doctor, the district was fortunate to have had three Cuban doctors posted to the hospital.

Mr. Dobbin disclosed further that the Effiduase Government Hospital successfully performed 966 minor and major surgical operations in the year under review, indicating that some of the best practices adopted by the District Health Directorate were operational research on Intermittent Preventive Therapy of malaria in pregnancy, research on rational use of Medicines, and Patient satisfaction survey.

The Health Director also disclosed that a patient satisfaction survey, conducted by his outfit, showed that 79% were satisfied with their services, and that 85% received all drugs prescribed by the hospital.

He, however, announced some unexpected performances encountered by the directorate as low TB detection rate and worrying maternal deaths (recorded two deaths).

Mr. Dobbin mentioned inadequate staff, vehicles, office/residential accommodation for Public Health Staff, as some challenges faced by the directorate.