The Northern Regional Hospital, a major referral facility in Tamale, is grappling with critical infrastructure challenges that are impeding quality healthcare.
Formerly known as the Central Hospital, the facility, located in the centre of Tamale, has, over the years suffered deterioration of some of its infrastructure.
Parts of the facility have visibly deteriorated, with cracked walls and damaged ceilings, exposing patients and health workers to several dangers.
The situation is more disturbing in the rainy season, when patients and health workers have to cope with leaking roofs and deteriorating structures.
Also, some of the washrooms and toilet facilities are in a poor state.
The dusty surroundings also expose both patients and health workers to health hazards.
1928
The hospital was built in 1928 as the first indigenous government hospital to serve the then Northern Region, which comprised the current five northern regions of Ghana.
It was subsequently upgraded to the Northern Regional Hospital.
Some patients who spoke to the Daily Graphic lamented the deteriorating state of the hospital.
The facility also grapples with inadequate beds.
Sharing her experience, a patient, Alia Mustapha, said due to the inadequate beds in the facility, patients are sometimes compelled to lie on the floor or sit on chairs to receive medical care.
Another patient, Erica Yakubu, said the challenges facing the hospital were not only affecting the patients but also health workers, saying workers also required an appropriate environment to perform their duties effectively.
She, therefore, appealed to the government and relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency, retool the hospital to improve healthcare delivery in the area.
Befitting status
Reacting to the situation, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, said most of the structures were very old and required major rehabilitation, adding that improving the infrastructure would enhance healthcare delivery within the hospital's catchment area.
“Looking at the infrastructure now, renovating them sometimes is more expensive than bringing down the old structures and rebuilding them. Redevelopment would raise the structures and meet modern standards,” he said.
Dr Anthony explained that the addition of new infrastructure would go a long way to give the facility a befitting status as a regional hospital.
He indicated that the maternal and child block was not spacious enough, explaining that the structure was demolished about three years ago to pave the way for a new facility, but work was yet to commence.
Dr Anthony said the hospital needed additional specialised offices but due to lack of space, some services were being compressed into the existing facilities.
Despite the constraints, he said the facility was doing its best to deliver quality healthcare to the people.
He, however, appealed to benevolent organisations, non-governmental organisations, individuals and the government to support the hospital to improve healthcare delivery.
