The Medical Superintendent of the Goaso Municipal Hospital has appealed for urgent government and corporate intervention, citing severe infrastructure decay, logistical, and critical staffing shortages, and operational constraints that threaten service delivery at the 128-bed facility.
According to Dr. James Ankamah, the blocks are very old, and their aged nature demands constant repairs and renovations, which come at a high cost.
He appealed during a monitoring visit to the facility by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, describing the facility’s deteriorating condition as very dire.
He lamented that despite serving thousands across nine wards, the Goaso hospital has not seen any major infrastructure upgrade in years.
Goaso hospital
Dr. Ankamah disclosed that one of the most strained departments is the antenatal care (ANC) unit, where limited space and rising demand have forced some expectant mothers to seek care elsewhere.
“The place is small and cannot contain all patients if they come. We have competitors with better infrastructure,” he admitted, referencing nearby private and mission hospitals like St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Staffing, he said, remains a major challenge and indicated that of the hospital’s 488 personnel, only three are specialists—a general surgeon, ophthalmologist, and dental surgeon and disclosed that the hospital lost 59 staff in 2024 alone, including an obstetrician-gynecologist who left the country. Temporary workers—45 in all—fill vital roles but remain in precarious employment.
“Accommodation costs in Goaso are equivalent to—if not higher than—Accra due to mining activities. Doctors and nurses struggle to find affordable housing,” he said and called on the government to build staff quarters to ease the burden.
Dr. Ankamah explained, however, that despite these challenges and more, some gains have been made.
Maternal mortality, he said, remains a concern—three deaths were recorded in 2023—but the hospital boasts a 118% follow-up rate for ANC registrants and has achieved full coverage in distributing insecticide-treated nets to expectant mothers.
He appealed for the hospital’s upgrade to secondary-level status to align with the range of procedures already being carried out.
“We perform secondary-level surgeries like thyroidectomies but aren’t compensated accordingly. Upgrading us would unlock critical resources.”
He also urged improvements to the hospital’s surrounding infrastructure including the dusty, potholed roads that stained the corridors with mud during rains and detering patients.
Members of the Committee praised the staff for their dedication despite the challenges and frustrations and pledged the hospital will not be neglected in government’s plans for the sector.
Team leader, Dr. Sebastian Sandaare assured the staff that under the Mahama Care intervention, the government would consider upgrading the status of the hospital to fit the amazing delivery of the facility.
Prof Titus Beyuo, the MP for Lambussie sympathised with challenges of the hospital and suggested they approach some of the mining companies in the area to support through their corporate social interventions.
He stressed that the presence of the Goaso Municipal Hospital also benefits these companies directly and indirectly hence the need to also support.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com