UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Prosper Adankai
Healthcare delivery in the Bolgatanga Municipality is coming under increasing pressure, with the Municipal Health Directorate renewing calls for the construction of a dedicated Municipal Hospital to meet the needs of the growing population.
Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region, remains without a dedicated municipal hospital despite its strategic location and its role as a major commercial and administrative centre.
The municipality hosts the Upper East Regional Hospital, which serves as a major referral facility for patients from across the region. However, the facility is increasingly coming under pressure, particularly at its Out-Patients Department (OPD), as residents of Bolgatanga and surrounding communities seek care there.
The Municipal Health Directorate says the absence of a dedicated municipal hospital is contributing to the pressure on the Regional Hospital and limiting access to appropriate healthcare services within the municipality.
Speaking on Ripples on GBC URA Radio in Bolgatanga, the Municipal Director of Health Services, Alhaji Dr Alhassan Lawal, said the municipality’s population of about 150,000 had outgrown the capacity of the existing Bolgatanga Health Centre.
According to him, the health centre currently has only one medical officer, while inadequate logistics and infrastructure further constrain its ability to provide quality healthcare services.
Dr Lawal also disclosed that three medical officers and two dentists posted to the municipality had failed to report for duty, worsening the human-resource challenges confronting healthcare delivery.
Call for a modern Municipal Hospital
Although there are plans to renovate the existing municipal health centre, Dr Lawal believes renovation alone may not provide a sustainable solution to the municipality’s growing healthcare needs.
He described the current condition of the facility as deplorable and said it lacks the infrastructure, equipment and capacity required to adequately serve the municipality’s population.
He is therefore appealing to the government, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and other stakeholders to prioritise the construction of a modern Municipal Hospital equipped with the necessary medical infrastructure and equipment.
A dedicated municipal hospital, according to the Health Directorate, would complement rather than compete with the Upper East Regional Hospital.
It could provide a stronger first point of referral for residents, reduce the number of patients reporting to the Regional Hospital for cases that could be managed at the municipal level, and allow the referral facility to concentrate on more complex cases.
The call comes against the backdrop of increasing population and healthcare demand in the regional capital.
For the Municipal Health Directorate, the construction of a Municipal Hospital is therefore not simply about adding another health facility. It is seen as an important intervention to strengthen the municipality’s healthcare system, improve access to services and reduce congestion at the Regional Hospital
Source – gbcuraonline.com
