Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), has revealed that over 200 nurses and other health professionals left the hospital in 2023, posing challenges to its operations.
During a visit to the facility by Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam and his team, Professor Addai-Mensah expressed concern over the departure of these health workers, emphasizing its adverse impact on the hospital's services.
He highlighted that the departures predominantly included nurses, radiographers, and medical laboratory scientists, creating a pressing need for replacements to maintain quality patient care.
“In the past year, we have had over 200 nurses leave Komfo Anokye. Every day, I have had to approve three to five applications for either leave of absence or resignation, mostly nurses, radiographers, and medical laboratory scientists, and so we are praying that we should be allowed to replace these people who are leaving so that we can continue with the care that we are supposed to be giving to our patients,” Professor Addai-Mensah stated.
Additionally, the hospital is facing challenges related to equipment deficits, further complicating its ability to deliver quality healthcare services. Professor Addai-Mensah urged the government to prioritize retooling efforts across various hospital departments to address these shortcomings.
“One of the major things we are facing is the retooling of the hospital. We are aware of the difficulties that the government has had concerning COVID-19 and others. Still, we believe that it is also possible for some help to be extended [to us] as far as retooling is concerned, especially given the fact that we are serving twelve regions,” he emphasized.
The call for government support underscores the critical need for investment in healthcare infrastructure and human resources to ensure the effective delivery of healthcare services to the public.