By Godfred A. Polkuu
Bolgatanga, July 24, GNA – Management of the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga, has awarded 25 staff across various Units for their professionalism and dedication to health service delivery.
Out of the number, 15 of them were females, while 10 were males who received certificates of honour and plaques to be posted at the entrances to their respective Units.
The awardees were Madam Lawrencia Ngambire, Madam Cynthia Talata Aparbange, Mr Richmond Bakpembang, Madam Evelyn Atinga, Mr Moses Atanga, Ms Angelina Najat Anduba, Madam Angela Fiatsonu, Madam Bintu Adam, Mr Solomon Atindana, Ms Cecilia Azupoka Akudago, Madam Sandra Abito and Mrs Mukarama Osman.
The rest were Mr Francis Ayambire, Madam Susan Pinto, Ms Anna Kpare, Mr Anthony Afiliba, Mr Sylvester Tukin, Mr Thomas Atii, Mr Bonais Akurugu, Ms Alijatu Alhassan, Ms Rukaya Issah, Mrs Esther Ayambire, Mr Mumuni Fuseini, Madam Theresah Atidigo, and Mr Innocent Nsobila Amoah.
The Hospital, through its Quality Management and Safety Unit, recognized the awardees for their prominent level of professionalism, discipline, teamwork and integrity, which were part of the Ghana Health Service’s core values.
Management noted that such qualities exhibited by the awardees positively influenced other staff of the hospital to improve their professionalism for continuous quality health service delivery to patients within and outside the region.
Dr Aiden Suntaa Saanwie, Medical Director of the Hospital, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the awards ceremony, said the award scheme was an initiative by management to motivate staff to continue to render quality health service to patients.
“As management, we have seen that motivation is low, so we decided to initiate this ward scheme to motivate staff to put up their best and to change the negative narrative about the facility in the public domain,” he said.
The Director, who is an Obstetrician Gynaecologist, said it was the 2024 first quarter awards programme, and appealed for support from philanthropists, Non-Governmental Organizations and Corporate Organizations to support management of the hospital to improve subsequent award ceremonies.
Mr Samuel Atuba, Head of Administration of the Hospital, assured staff that management would work to make the award scheme “Bigger and Better” to motivate them to stay and work to promote quality service delivery.
Giving the selection process for the awardees, Madam Sheila Nigre, the Coordinator of the Quality Management and Safety Unit of the facility, said the award winners were selected by their colleagues at their respective Units.
“There were key indicators to guide staff at the various Units to do their selection. “We considered punctuality to work, dress code, attitude to work, attitude towards colleague staff, patients and hard work at the Unit level including other key indicators,” Madam Nigre said.
She emphasised that the selection process was fair, saying, “In fact, staff themselves recognized that the awardees deserved the awards. They are staffing whose professionalism and handwork are not in doubt.”
Madam Nigre said patient satisfaction was of outmost importance to management and the outcome of a survey conducted by the Unit, indicated that customer care satisfaction was one of the areas staff needed to improve on.
She reiterated the Director’s appeal for sponsorship to enable management to improve on the award scheme to motivate staff to put out their best, and further encouraged health facilities in the region to initiate similar award schemes to motivate their staff.
Some female award winners told the GNA that they would ensure they continue to top the award scheme in the hospital, and confident that the overall best staff award winner at the end of the year would be a female, their male counterparts also said they would work hard to ensure “We sweep most of the awards next time and take the overall best award as well.”
Mr Atii, one of the awardees from the Security Unit, expressed gratitude to management for recognizing his efforts among all the other hardworking staff in his Unit, and said he was motivated to contribute to the overall growth of the hospital.
GNA