The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is considering a ban on the use of mobile phones among health professionals in various health facilities across the country, the Director-General, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare has hinted.
It comes on the back of complaints of poor customer service among health workers often attached to their phones during working hours, to the detriment of human lives.
“We will soon send letters round on how the system would be run such that when you enter the hospitals or clinics, you will not have access to mobile network and in place of that, we use intercoms or provide other means of communicating if need be.”
Dr Nsiah-Asare made the assertion at the inauguration of three new ultramodern polyclinics on Friday to augment health infrastructure in the Greater Accra Region.
They include the Sege Polyclinic in the Ada West District, the Ashaiman Polyclinic in the Ashaiman Municipality and the Ogbojo Polyclinic in the Adentan Municipality.
Residents seeking healthcare in Oduman and its environs in the Ga West Municipal Assembly can now heave a sigh of relief with the inauguration of an ultra-modern polyclinic.
The 30-bed capacity facility comes with an operation theatre, a laboratory, an x-ray department, a pharmacy, a counselling room, wards, staff bungalows and a cold room.
It forms part of five polyclinics being constructed by the government in the Greater Accra Region to improve access to healthcare services in the region.
It is also to help reduce pressure on the major tertiary and referral hospitals within the capital.
The projects which begun in May 2017 is estimated at a total cost of 13.5 million euros.
Dr Nsiah-Asare charged workers of the facility to embark on rigorous public health education in the communities to enable residents to lead healthy lifestyles.
“The coming of this polyclinic should help reduce teenage pregnancies, maternal mortality and lifestyle diseases in this community and its environs,” he said.
Dr Nsiah-Asare asked the workers to adopt good customer care towards patients and uphold a high maintenance culture at the facility.
At a handing over ceremony which brought together highly elated community members, traditional rulers, religious leaders and staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu pledged that by end of June, all five polyclinics would be accessible to patients.
According to the minister, Ghana was a signatory to international health treaties to provide healthcare in “a different manner and one of such means is to bring healthcare closer to the people.”
He said easy access to healthcare “without barriers” was critical to achieving the country’s vision for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
Mr Agyeman-Manu was hopeful the polyclinic would become a centre of excellence in healthcare delivery particularly in the area of reducing maternal and neonatal deaths.
“There should be zero tolerance for maternal deaths here. We should carry out our duties such that we have no or minimal deaths,” he charged workers.
The minister also entreated residents to patronise the health facility and have confidence in the health personnel to address their health needs.
“With this polyclinic, there will be no need rushing to Korle Bu, Ridge and others. We have placed well qualified health professionals here capable of handling cases so let this place be your first point of call,” he urged.
An opinion leader of the community and chairperson for the occasion, Mr Nickson Acquaye, pleaded for an ambulance to be provided to the clinic for emergency purposes, as well as employment opportunities at the facility for residents of the area.
The Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga West Municipal Assembly, Clement Wilkinson, on his part pledged to work on the deplorable road network leading to the health centre.
By ABIGAIL ANNOH
