Situation Analysis Of Hospitals In Ghana

A section of Ghanaian nurses and health officials: How committed are they?

Like many African countries, Ghana is currently working hard to improve the health sector but the circumstances and reports concerning both government and private hospitals, in this peaceful multi-cultural country, portray the hospitals as a graveyard.

An interview via telephone, on January 4, 2017, reveals that there is a shortage of health professionals at the government hospitals because many doctors are practicing outside Ghana. According to sources, some of the hospitals lacked proper health facilities resulting in inefficient services.

"It’s hard to understand if some of the doctors or the health officials don’t have the passion for the job because when emergency cases are brought to the hospital, you don’t see them ready or in action to save a life, like how a real health professionals should do," says Debby, a graduate teacher serving the Ministry of Education.

“I am not accusing any medical staff of wanting a bribe or waiting for the palm to be greased but on many times such things take place at the hospitals before a life is saved or the person dies because there is no money to grease the palm,” she stressed.

It’s a fact that if you don’t have money in Ghana to treat yourself in a hospital, you could easily die even if the sickness is not life-threatening. Rumour has it that there are indifferences at the hospitals. One receives early care if you know someone and on many occasions, patients collapse or die after waiting for a doctor for a very long period.

The latter is not a matter that can be ignored because due to insufficient doctors at Ghanaian hospitals, one doctor takes care of hundreds of patients at the hospital. This uncomfortable situation has directed many Ghanaian families to take their sick ones to the private hospitals but not all that glitters is gold.

According to confirmed reports, many of the private hospitals in the country lacked qualified health officials and sometimes medications and treatments go wrong. It is reported that medications and treatments from non-qualified health officials result in complications and even death.

It’s also a fact that Ghanaian hospitals don't have ambulances, instead, private individuals run the ambulance service, which many can’t afford. Thus, it’s very common to see taxis taking patients to the hospital and the response to an emergency is always poor, as previously indicated.

The Ministry of Health faces other challenges in Ghana. Every year, hundreds of patients die from diabetes, respiratory sicknesses, malaria, cancer-related sicknesses, due to lack of medical facilities, proper medical care, and unhygienic environments, because of poor waste disposal and drainage in the country.

Education is important to a successful career which improves the quality of life in every sector, including the health. Thus; education and the improvement of the health sector must be a priority in every African nation.

Already many African countries aimed at boosting education, proper health care facilities, access to water, labour market opportunities and other factors to improve the quality of life, leading to low HIV-Aids infection and mortality rates.