By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, July 11, GNA -Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil, the Medical Director of the Upper East Regional Hospital, says the facility’s long-term ambition is to attain tertiary status.
“Our ultimate target is for us to become a tertiary facility. Whether it becomes a teaching hospital or another form of tertiary institution, we want to attain tertiary status, and with the plan we have, we believe we are on course towards that objective,” Dr Tambil said.
He expressed satisfaction with a successful review and validation of the hospital’s new five-year strategic plan, and commended staff for their commitment and professionalism throughout the process.
“I am really excited, and I feel proud that I am superintending over a group of very talented people because the quality of the work that has been done shows that we have the men and women to move this institution forward,” Dr Tambil stated.
The hospital’s leadership concluded a comprehensive review and validation of the strategic plan, which would guide the facility’s development and strengthen healthcare delivery over the next five years.
The document, drafted by a five-member committee over a six-month period, underwent extensive scrutiny by departmental heads during a review session aimed at ensuring it reflects the hospital’s vision and priorities.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the meeting, Dr Tambil underscored the critical role of strategic planning in healthcare management, and noted that institutions without clear plans risked compromising their own development.
“The adage goes that if you fail to plan, you are actually planning to fail, and nowhere is this more pertinent than in healthcare management.
“It is important in the life of every institution that you put something on paper that helps you chart a course and guides you to where you want to go. Our strategic plan for the next five years will serve as that guide for our progress as a health facility,” he said.
Dr Tambil explained that the strategic plan was developed through a broad consultative process to ensure it captured the aspirations and priorities of staff across all departments.
“We wanted to have everybody’s views as much as possible, so we formed a committee of five that went from unit to unit, gathering ideas from staff on where they wanted the hospital to go and how they believed we could get there,” he said.
He disclosed that the exercise took six months to complete, describing it as a painstaking but rewarding process.
“Its been six months of painstaking work by the committee, and what we witnessed is the culmination of all the hard work that went into developing the five-year strategy,” Dr Tambil said.
According to the Medical Director, the strategic plan focused on key priority areas, including human resource development, infrastructure, environmental management, quality improvement, access to healthcare, financial management, governance and stewardship.
“The strategic plan captures almost all the areas that we are interested in as a facility. It looks at human resources, the environment and physical infrastructure, quality improvement, access, financial management, governance and stewardship, among others,” he said.
Dr Tambil expressed confidence that effective implementation of the plan would transform the hospital and position it to provide a higher level of healthcare over the next five years.
“I believe that if we can go by what is enshrined in this strategic plan, the next five years will be a watershed for the regional hospital. We will go places,” the Medical Director said.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Keneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Email: [email protected]