Bolgatanga Regional Hospital Records 539 deaths

Pneumonia, anaemia, malaria and meningitis accounted for 260 deaths at the Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga last year, a report of the hospital shows.

It said 69 out of 557 pneumonia patients died. Another 68 patients died out of 727 that reported with anaemia related ailments. Malaria killed 62 of the 1,104 patients, who were admitted at the hospital with the disease, while cerebrospinal meningitis claimed 61 lives of 257 patients admitted.

These were contained in the 2002 Performance Review Report of the Hospital presented at the annual Performance Review Meeting of the Upper East Regional Health Directorate held in Bolgatanga.

The Report said there were 18 deaths from pregnancy related complications; 16 from tuberculosis; Septicaemia, 18; Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF), 23; and Cerebro-Vascular Accidents (CVA), 14.

Other diseases recorded 190 deaths bringing the total number of deaths to 539.

The Report attributed the cause of deaths to inadequate staffing, obsolete equipment that frequently broke down and the lack of necessary logistics such as means of transport and failure on the part of patients to report to the hospital on time.

Identification of patient needs, developing the capacity and skills of staffs and training more medical personnel, providing better emergency care and making the hospital user friendly, were suggestions that the Report indicated if implemented could minimise the incidence of preventable deaths.

The Report said strengthening the management capacity and applying the Patient Charter Code Of Ethics, among other measures could improve the quality of service delivery in the hospital.