[ 2017-03-27 ]

Kwaku Agyemang Manu,Health minister

Pong Tamale hospital threatens to withdraw NHIS services
The Pong Tamale hospital may this week cease to
offer NHIS services to patients due to over 14
months debt owed by the NHIS and the lack of other
facilities.

The Pong Tamale Health Centre is the only reliable
facility for the township and its surrounding in
the Savelugu-Nanton Municipality.

The facility serves over 18 communities and has an
annual out-patient department (OPD) attendance of
1,600.

The lack of funds has affected the facility
severely to the extent that they cannot purchase
gloves and other materials to provide quality
healthcare to patients.

Nyankonton Mu Nsem visit to the facility,
discovered that the health facility does not get
regular water supply, yet health workers continue
to work under such unfortunate conditions.

The buildings have cracks all over, the floors,
doors and ceilings are falling off, whilst bats
have invaded the entire ceilings, posing health
dangers to patients and health workers.

The facility is not spacious enough, forcing some
pregnant women who come there to sit on the floor
or stand anytime they are seeking for their health
needs.

Speaking to Rainbow Radio's Prince Kwame Tamakloe,
Madam Haruna Ayishatu, a midwife at the centre,
that since January 2016 till date, no payment has
been made to the facility by the National Health
Insurance Authority (NHIA).

She disclosed that the situation was affecting the
facility, calling on the government to intervene
so that they can get some parts of their arrears
to pay off their debt to keep the facility
running.

The midwife also mentioned that, the lack of
laboratory at Pong Tamale is a challenge to the
facility because sometimes they need to see
immediate results of the patient but it delays
because of lack of laboratory at the facility and
had revealed that they would be glad if a
laboratory is provided in Pong Tamale.

Source - rainbowradioonline.com

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