Parliament’s health committee recommends teaching hospital in Upper West Region

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Health has recommended the conversion of the Upper West Regional Hospital to a teaching hospital to augment the training of health professionals in the country, especially in northern Ghana.

That would also attract health staff to that hospital and the Upper West Region in general, since they would have the opportunity to further their studies within the region while impacting society.

Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, the Health Committee Chairperson and Member of Parliament (MP) for Nabdam Constituency, recommended this in Wa at the weekend during the committee’s sensitisation visit to the hospital.

The committee was in the region as part of efforts to sensitise health facilities on the need to ensure proper maintenance of the health infrastructure and enhance staff motivation to help ensure commitment to service.

Addressing the management and some staff of the hospital after a tour of the facility, Dr. Nawaane, indicated that the hospital had all it takes to be a teaching hospital compared to other hospitals proposed for teaching hospitals.

“We want this hospital to be a teaching hospital. It has all that it takes. The number of beds is approaching 300, and they have all the units.

We want to report that they can look at the possibility of converting it into another teaching hospital in the northern part of the country”, he explained.

Talking about the staff deficit at the hospital, Dr. Nawaane emphasised the need for financial clearance for staff recruitment, especially for the Upper West Regional Hospital.

“If even the financial clearance cannot meet all the hospitals, Wa (Upper West Regional) hospital should be given a special dispensation and financial clearance given to some staff to report to work over here”, he stated.

The Committee Chairperson also assured the hospital’s Management of tabling their concerns, including the lack of a pediatric ventilator and pediatric dialysis machine, before the appropriate authorities for possible redress.

Mr Patrick Boakye-Yiadom, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee, reiterated that the Committee would meet with the Ministry of Health on the need for critical equipment for the hospital.

The Upper West Regional Hospital had only one Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine, but Mr Boakye-Yiadom, also the MP for Obuasi East Constituency, said a region prone to meningitis epidemics should have more than one PCR machine.

The Committee commended the staff and management of the hospital for their dedicated services despite the challenges they faced.

It also commended the management for its internal revenue generation of over GHS¢33 million in 2024, which the Committee said surpassed some health facilities with higher OPD attendants.

Dr. (Med) Matilda Awingura Akanzum, the Ag. Medical Director of the Hospital said the hospital still had not received its seed capital for operation, which affected its ability to procure consumables.

Other challenges she mentioned included limited human resources and vehicles for the facility as well as the lack of a dedicated electricity line for the hospital.

Source: GNA

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