Healthcare delivery in Oti Region: More specialist doctors needed – Regional Health Director

Health facilities in the Oti Region are grappling not only with high mortality cases, but other ailments that need special medical attention but facilities at hospitals in the region lack in that regard.

Available records revealed that six (6) pregnant women lost their lives during delivery in the year under review (2023) which doesn’t augur well for quality health care delivery in the region.

The Oti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Osei Kuffuor Afreh who disclosed this at their Annual Performance Review Conference at Jasikan said currently, the doctor-to-patient ratio stands at one doctor to 21,000 patients, significantly higher than the recommended ratio of one to 7,500 patients. This situation adversely affects effective health care delivery in the region.

The 2-day Annual Performance Review Conference under the theme: “Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through the Network of Practice Approach” brought together duty bearers of health from the nine administrative districts and municipalities of the Oti Region and some health partners from within and outside the region.

The conference afforded them the opportunity to discuss the performance of health staff and state of health facilities across the region in 2023 and also strategize through the use of good practices as to how to improve performance in the coming years.

Presentations from the various District and Municipal Health Directorates and Hospitals in the region at the conference have shown modest improvement in most of the indicators in the year 2023 compared to the previous year.

The Oti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Osei Kuffuor Afreh disclosed that due to lack of the region’s capacity to manage specialized health needs, six pregnant women lost their lives during labour.

Dr. Afreh stressed that the Oti region is indeed needing specialist Gynecologist and other specialist, adding that the medical officers at post are doing their best but when the situation is beyond them, they would need the services of specialist to assist them.

The Regional Director of Health Services also regretted that the number of doctors in the region keeps declining because those leaving for further studies are not being replaced which is taking a toll on quality health care delivery.

The Chief Director of Oti Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC) Rev. Harrison Nii Kwatei Owoo noted that the Coordinating Council is aware of the daunting challenges facing the Regional Health Directorate in providing quality healthcare delivery and therefore assured them of the ORCC’s preparedness to help create an enabling environment for health workers to operate.

Meanwhile, not only the health directorate is challenged with numerous release application letters from health workers to leave the region, but some health staff from other regions often refuse to accept postings to the Oti Region which is blamed on the routine land and tribal conflict in the Nkwanta-South Municipality.

By Robert Abilba