Minister inspects rehabilitation works at Military Hospital

Accra, July 28, GNA - Defence Minister, Kwame Addo Kufuor on Monday said the Ministry was making all efforts to enhance the human resource capacity of the 37 Military Hospital.

He said the Ministry had contacted some overseas health institutions and highly qualified expatriate Ghanaian health professionals to help enhance the quality of the human resource capacity at the Hospital. "The reputation of a health facility does not depend on its architectural splendour or state of the art equipment located in it but on the competence, dedication and humane attitude of its health workers," he said.

Dr Addo Kufuor was speaking at a durbar of the officers, men and civilian staff of the hospital during an inspection to assess the progress of the ongoing rehabilitation works.

He said the government was committed to make the Hospital a centre of excellence and a teaching institution for the training of doctors at the post-graduate level.

In line with this the Dean of the Medical College and Vice President of the Howard University have been invited to evaluate the facilities at the Hospital for the commencement of the programme, exchange of staff, tele-medicine and research collaborations.

Additionally, two Ghanaians, a consultant cardiologist from Germany and a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from South Africa, have also visited the Hospital in order to develop the post-graduate programme.

Dr Addo Kufuor said that contacts had also been made with certain United States Military Health Institutions to help upgrade the facilities.

The current structural development at the Hospital is at the second stage. These include an Information System; Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Physiotherapy; Public Health; Pathology and Dental Departments. Others are the Paediatrics; Eye and ENT Departments; Polyclinic; Surgical Division; Pharmacy Division; Doctors/Consultants Offices and the Medical Division.

The Minister said proposals for the third stage, which would soon be placed before Cabinet, would consist of a Children's Block with 150 beds, a Women's Block with 250 beds, with each block having its own theatre. There would also be a National Accident Emergency Centre capable of handling large-scale emergencies.

He said funds were being sought to rehabilitate the existing Medical Reception Stations of the Ghana Armed Forces into a 100-bed district level hospitals as well as the rehabilitation of the Dental and Medical Centres.

Dr Addo Kufuor told the staff of the hospital that government appreciated their dedication to duty and regarded the military establishment as an important facility in the provision of health services.

He, however, decried the lapses caused by some health workers, which had attracted media attention.

"These unfortunate matters cause me pain and embarrassment. Pain and embarrassment because, I am acutely aware of the dedicated service and loyalty of the greater majority of the staff here."

He said he had been assured by the hospital administration that efforts had been initiated to prevent such lapses in the future. "The 37 Military Hospital has a mighty future in the Service of the Ghana Armed Forces and the people of Ghana and we should strive to make this noble vision a reality."

Dr Addo Kufuor also addressed the concerns of staff of the Hospital, which included the equation of their salaries and allowances to those of the Ministry of Health and promotions. He said that he had authorised the straightening up of the distortions in pay and allowances between the medical personnel of the Ministry of Defence Medical Service and their counterparts in the Ministry of Health.

Brigadier Daniel Twum, Director of Medical Services of the Ghana Armed Forces said the straightening of the disparity in the salary structure would motivate the staff to work harder and stop the mass exodus.

Earlier, Brig. Joseph Aryettey, Commanding Officer of the Hospital, told the Minister that 70 per cent of those who patronised the hospital were civilians.