By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Lawra (UW/R), Aug. 4, GNA – Patients at the Lawra Municipal Hospital can now heave a sigh of relief from the burden of purchasing essential medical consumables before receiving treatment, even with active National Health Insurance cards.
This followed the donation of GH¢100,000.00 worth of non-drug consumables by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lawra Constituency.
The donation, which included examination gloves, syringes and needles, gauze, cannulae, and laboratory reagents, came at a time the hospital had been grappling with shortages of essential consumables.
The situation compelled patients to procure such essential items from outside the facility before they could access healthcare services, which had in turn affected Out-Patients Department (OPD) attendance.
At a brief donation ceremony at Lawra, Dr Ziblila Musah, the Medical Superintendent of the Lawra Municipal Hospital, said the hospital had been grappling with poor revenue generation because of the low OPD attendance.
He indicated that the dwindling internally generated funds had made it difficult for the hospital to procure essential medical consumables, leading to accumulated debts owed to suppliers.
“As a direct consequence of this, we experience shortages of essential medical consumables such as gloves, syringes and needles, and laboratory reagents due to accumulated legacy debts to suppliers.
Many of these suppliers are now unwilling to extend further credit and even threaten legal action,” Dr Musah said.
He noted that the shortages had affected infection prevention measures and effective healthcare delivery because the consumables formed the backbone of daily clinical services.
The Medical Superintendent said the donation would guarantee uninterrupted availability of critical supplies, restore patients’ confidence in the hospital, and improve OPD attendance.
Mr Bede Ziedeng, the MP, said the donation was in fulfilment of a promise he made, after the Medical Superintendent informed him about the urgent need for consumables to sustain critical health services provision at the facility.
It also reaffirmed his commitment to supporting quality healthcare services delivery to the people in the municipality and beyond.
As part of his support for healthcare delivery, the MP, among other things, had financed the refurbishment of the hospital’s theatre and renovated health facilities across the municipality.
He said the donation would help ensure the availability of essential consumables for improved service delivery and urged the hospital management to ensure that the items were used strictly in the interest of patients.
Madam Cecilia Nuratu Soyelleh, the Lawra Municipal Chief Executive, described the donation as timely, as it would help improve healthcare delivery for the over 56,000 people who depended on that facility.
“This donation will directly improve patient care by ensuring our wards are well stocked, protecting our frontline health workers and reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients who often have to buy these items themselves,” she said.
Madam Phoebe Balaguyetime, the Lawra Municipal Director of Health Services, commended the MP for his consistent support to the health sector of the municipality over the years.
She expressed optimism that the continued collaboration between the MP, Municipal Assembly, and the Health Directorate would further strengthen healthcare delivery across the municipality.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
Email: [email protected]