Management of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital has rewarded George Afful a client from New Amanful in Takoradi who formally reported of extortion by a staff at the hospital’s main lab and also assisted in investigations to expose the culprit.

Management has since the incident also acted by refunding the extorted money and taken the culprit through due disciplinary action.

Making a cash presentation to Mr Afful, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil encouraged members of the general public not to hesitate but demand and ensure that receipts issued them are valid. He encouraged members of the general public to be bold to report any criminalities within the confines of the hospital at the administration for action to be taken rather than going on air to express their frustrations.

He also called on the media to refer complainants to make formal complaints at the hospital’s administration to get their issues addressed rather than just expressing their misgivings about the hospital on air.

The ENRH Conference Center was filled to capacity on 2^nd February 2023 at around 10:30AM when members of staff converged to discuss important issues regarding the Hospital Welfare Association.

This first quarter staff durbar had been set aside to mainly discuss hospital welfare issues. All category of staff were present and the 200 seater conference center was left with no extra seat empty.

In his opening remarks, the Medical Director of the facility Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil commended staff for the massive attendance as well as timeliness in response to the meeting. He outlined the major areas which he thought should be focused on for the year 2023 key among them is acquisition of a staff welfare bus and revamping the operations of the staff welfare canteen.

Presenting his report, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Welfare Association Pharm Samuel Owusu aka Pharm SKOT, emphasized that their ambitions are in line with those outlined by the Medical Director. He however highlighted the financial bottlenecks due to the meager contributions by members.

Medical Director moved a motion for the increase of the monthly welfare dues from GHS 10 to GHS 30. A vote was taken and 60% of the staff present were in support of the motion.

The Medical Director thanked staff for their cooperation and pledged that management will stringently police the welfare funds and ensure that they are utilized for their intended purposes.

He announced the appointment of an electoral committee which will see to the elections of new executive members of the association as the tenure of the current executive committee has expired. He also encouraged members to put themselves up for positions to help drive the Association to a brighter future.  The members of the electoral committee are: Mrs. Doris Teiko Acquaye, Mr. Fredrick Mireku, Ms. Barbara Koomson, Dr Mathew Ekow Mbir Mbeah and Mr. Stephen Kumah.

Below are some contributors at the meeting.

1. Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH) has thrilled the general public with another Open Day offering a range of free healthcare services. The event which has become an annual affair does not only give back to society but also kindles a spirit of camaraderie and selfless service among staff of the facility.

This year’s celebration which was planned to climax the breast cancer awareness month of October was themed ‘breast cancer: early detection saves lives’, it offered not only free breast examination and screening, but also cervical among others as well as free consultation services. The event held at the forecourt of the Hospital’s O.P.D saw a display of stands by a number of service units in the facility to serve the attendees. The stands lined up at the venue included Laboratory, Wellness, Herbal, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Psychiatry and ENT. Others were Blood Bank, Dental, Dietary, Comprehensive Care Center, complaints and enquiry among others.

Management of the facility took advantage of this year’s event to showcase services which have been relocated due to the ongoing redevelopment project. This was to assure the general public that not a single service in the facility has been shut down. Rather, services such as Accident and Emergency, Dialysis, CT scan, medical and surgical wards have moved to newly renovated spaces around the Hospital.

One unique feature this year was the mounting of a giant light emitter diode screen to show the work of various Departments and Units in the facility. There were also on display some tremendous surgical and medical successes chalked by staff of the facility.

Aside individual members of the general public, this year’s attendees also included a number of women groups such as the Ghana Police Ladies Association, Ghana Fire Ladies Association among others.
On the high table was the Medical Director Dr. Joseph Kojo Tambil and other members of the management team. The Head of Hospital Administration, Mr. Michael Danso welcomed the attendees and introduced members of management present. Among them were Head of Finance, Alhaji A.A. Sadiq, Head of Pharmacy, Mr Francis D. Afari, Head of Nursing, Mrs Marian Sophia Quaye, Clinical Care Coordinator, Dr. Edward K, Amihere, Head of Surgery, Dr. Tawiah Siameh, Head of Institutional Public Health who also doubles as Chairperson of the Open Day Committee, Dr Nana Esi Gaisie and Head of Internal Audit, Mr. Simeon Osei Tawiah.

In a brief address, the Medical Director of the facility assured the general public that regardless of the present economic difficulties in the country, management of the facility is determined to improve the quality of service delivery and called on clients and staff alike to appreciate the situation, remain calm and support initiatives of the Hospital for the benefit of all and sundry. Dr. Tambil hinted that the ongoing redevelopment project puts Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital on the path of becoming one of the best healthcare facilities to serve the people of the western corridor of the country.
He expressed special appreciation to Amandi Investments Limited, Bank of Ghana, Benso Oil Palm Plantations and the Member of Parliament for Sekondi Hon. Agyapa Mercer for their sponsorship support for this year’s Open Day.
The ENRH Hospital Choir treated the gathering to some beautiful choral music pieces.

The Open Day Committee surprised this year’s deserving staff with appreciation certificates.

 

Management of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital has expressed appreciation to DDNS Justina Amo Yartey for the sterling contributions she exhibited during her tenure as Head of Nursing at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
In a brief address, Medical Director of the Hospital Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil said DDNS Amo Yartey would be remembered for her immense role in the journey of Effia Nkwanta’s transformation to become one of the best Hospitals in the country and assured her that her contributions are still valuable and that she is always welcome to the ENRH family.

DDNS Marian Sophia Quaye formerly of the Kwesimintsim Government Hospital has taken over from DDNS Justina Amo Yartey as the new Head of Nursing at ENRH.
Read DDNS Justina Amo Yartey’s Professional Autobiography here:Professional autobiography of DDNS Justina Amo Yartey

Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital has been commended for bold steps staff and management of the facility have taken towards the set-up of a Referral Call Center. This was during a presentation on the Regional Referral System by the Municipal Director of Health Service for the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipal Health Directorate, Mrs Joyce K Bagyina Sutherland at the 2022 mid-year performance review of the Ghana Health Service in the Western Region on Wednesday 27th July, 2022.
The event held at the Raybow Hotel in Takoradi was chaired by the Western Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Nana Yaw Ofori Yeboah and attended by members of the Western Regional Health Directorate and representatives from Ghana Health Service facilities in the region.
The performance review meeting is to assess performance of facilities in some areas of care; to learn from best practices and to strategize for improved performance.
Mrs Bagyina Sutherland, lauded Management and Staff of Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital for taking the initiative to set-up a Referral Call Center in the facility and called on other facilities in the region to emulate the move and play their roles in order to fully activate the concept of the Western Regional Referral System.

Mrs Begyina Sutherland who visited the ENRH Referral Call Center to abreast herself with operations there recounts the swift manner by which a referral case was coordinated and received through the Center. She expressed appreciation for the attitude of the staff at the Center and commended Management of ENRH for the initiative.
The center can be contacted on a toll free line: 0800161616 and the following lines 0207333306 and 0593970442.

Members of the Ghana Health Service Council have engaged Management and Staff of Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH) to listen to concerns and suggestions in order to improve the state of the facility and the service at large. The Council is in the region to visit service delivery points to interact with health managers and staff, patients and other key stakeholders, to have first-hand information and experiences of the challenges associated with the day-to-day delivery of healthcare services at all levels of the Service.
In an open forum held at the ENRH conference center, some members of Management highlighted on key issues for the council members to take note.
The Head of Pharmacy of ENRH Mr Francis D. Afari welcomed Council members to the Hospital Conference Center on behalf of the Medical Director Dr Joseph Tambil and gave a brief about the current state of the hospital.
Among the key issues, the Ward Manager of the ENRH Accident and Emergency Department, Madam Regina Quaicoe inquired if the Ghana Health Service has any arrangement in place to support the healthcare of staff and their dependents who at a point in time need medical care. She lamented on a situation where staff are confronted with the challenge of having to pay for the cost of treatment in their own facilities.
The Head of Procurement at ENRH, Mr Sulemana Mutaka expressed concern with delays by NHIS in reimbursing health facilities asking if there could be innovative ways of making the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) more active. He appealed to the Council to liaise with the NHIA to find ways to attract more funding for the scheme.
The Head of Finance at ENRH, Mr Abubakar Sadiq also noted that Management of the facility had observed anomalies in the recently reviewed NHIS tariffs for health facilities. He said the Out Patients Department (OPD) general tariffs for secondary facilities was GH Ȼ15.34. With the current review, it is now stands at GHȻ 17.67. District Hospitals before the increment was GHȻ 12.34. With the new increment, it has come to GHȻ 22.07. Considering the figures, District Hospitals charges for OPD has increased by 77% whilst Regional Hospitals gained only 15%. Meanwhile it is suggested that more inputs are required for treatment of patients at the secondary facility level. Thus, it implies that the tariffs for regional hospitals should be higher. Mr Sadiq implored the council to intervene and help rectify this situation.
The Head of Internal Audit, Mr Simeon Osei Tawiah appealed to Council Members to intercede in the issue of reimbursement of funds the hospital expended on COVID patients in the heat of the pandemic.
The Head of Institutional Public Health, Dr Nana Esi Gaisie who spoke on behalf of children with special needs in the region observed that for all the referrals Cape Coast Teaching Hospital receives on children who need speech therapy, a third comes from the Western Region. She called on council to help alleviate the burden of such children by facilitating the needs for their treatment here in the region. She says the Sekondi School for the deaf for instance has a well-furnished hearing assessment center but they do not have an Audiologist.
The Head of Laboratory, Mr Bright Ameyaw inquired about the policy on the grade of ‘Chief’ for laboratory staff. According to him there are a lot of laboratory staff who get stuck at the ‘Deputy Chief’ grade with anticipation that they rise to ‘Chief’ grade before their retirement. He asked if something could be done about the situation to avoid discouragement or a state of apathy among such staff. Head of OPD Pharmacy, Mr. Samuel Owusu added voice to the call to rectify the situation of the increasing number of ‘Deputy Chiefs’ among all cadre of staff. He suggested that the position of Chief should be a rank but it is rather an appointment for one person as it stands now.
Principal Physician Assistant (Herbal Medicine), Mrs Ernestina Amponsem asked if the Ghana Health Service has any plan or strategy on complimentary or alternative medicine. She recounted steps taken by former Minister of Health, the Late Courage Quashigah, to invite experts from Israel to train health staff on alternative medicine such as dietary practices, physical exercises, massage, and chiropractic among others. Mrs Amponsem observed there appears to be a total eclipse over such initiative on alternative medicine after the initial efforts and appealed to the council to revive the concept.

Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Dr Eric Mensah expressed a challenge on behalf of young mothers who have to return to work in just three months after delivery. He says many of them are unable to find nursing mothers and appealed that health institutions begin to establish nurseries and crèches to cater for the babies of such mothers when they resume work from their maternity leave.
Deputy Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Vivian Zormelo called on the Council members to intervene in fast-tracking the posting of qualified nurses and midwives to avoid them staying too long at home and going rusty after their National Service.
Council assured staff and Management that they will follow up on their concerns and liaise with the appropriate authorities to help address the gaps.

Story by Stacy Adams
ENRH PR Unit

The Healthcare system in the Western Region, like in other parts of the country, has over the years been beset with challenges relating to the referral of patients, especially with inter-hospital transfers. The situation is largely attributable to lack of effective communication and coordination between facilities and the challenges in arranging for transportation of patients, even in the current situation where the number of ambulances in the country has tremendously improved. This has often resulted in preventable deaths and client dissatisfaction with the system.
In order to resolve some of these bottlenecks, the Regional Health Directorate at a retreat in February tasked all facilities in the region to come up with strategies to improve on the referral system.
The Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital as the main referral facility in the region has set up a Referral Call Center equipped with gadgets for receiving, recording and transmitting calls between referring facilities and the various receiving units within the Hospital to help address the problem.
Work on the Center started in March and was completed in June. A number of healthcare providers including nurses and paramedical staff have been trained to man the center on rotational basis.
The main role of the Center is to receive calls from all referring facilities and transmit them to the Units or Departments that are to see the patients or the specialists concerned around the clock. The Center will also serve as a point for scheduling appointments for clients who want to see specialists in the hospital as well as serve as a link between the hospital and the National Ambulance Service which transports referred patients.
The Center has been set up in conjunction with the ENRH Bed Management Team to eliminate the ‘no bed’ syndrome which usually occurs during referrals.
In order to eliminate call charges, ENRH has acquired a toll –free number which works on all mobile phone networks operating in the country. The toll – free line to the center is 0800161616. Other lines to the center are: 0207333306 & 0593970442.
In a circular co-signed by the Medical Director of ENRH and the Regional Director of Health Services, referring facilities are encouraged to stick to the agreed rules for referrals. These are:
All referrals should be channeled through the center.
All Hospitals should route referrals through their respective facility or district referral managers.