Doctor shortage hits Korle-Bu

The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has been forced to reorganise its activities to cover the gap created by the exit of about 140 doctors on Monday, May 4, 2015.

The departing of the doctors who are an essential part of the medical team of the hospital upon their completion of their one year training course have left the hospital facing serious human resource problems in the last three days.

The out-patient department (OPD), where the services of the doctors are mostly needed, is the hardest hit with the new development.

Patients who visited the OPD had to wait for long hours as the hospital restructured the activities of the medical officers, specialists and consultants to meet the medical needs of the patients.

Public Relations Officer of KBTH, Mustapha Salifu, explaining the situation to DAILY GUIDE said the doctors are graduates from the medical school who had come to learn and have practical experience at the hospital.

He said they were the group that provided services at the wards and OPD department to enable other staff to attend to specialised cases.

He, however, said the hospital could not directly engage their services after the completion of their one year training course as that was the responsibility of the Dental and Medical Council.

Mr Salifu further noted that the Council had stated that a new batch of medical students would be graduating after which they would be immediately dispatched to the various hospitals by Monday.

Management of the hospital has, however, assured the public in a statement that the hospital has not suspended its outpatient services.

“Though house officers (doctors) who were working with the hospital have completed their services are leaving, creating a short-term staffing gap, the hospital continues to provide out-patient and in-patient services.

“Management of the hospital wish to assure the general public that the delay in the posting of house officers to the hospital has nothing to do with the freeze on public sector hiring as was purported in the media,” the statement said.