The paramount Chief of Gukpegu Traditional area in the northern region, Naa Alhaji Abdulai Alhassan has appealed to all health workers in the northern region to change their attitudes towards patients who come to their hospitals and clinics for medical care.
Gukpe-Naa said is it unacceptable for any health worker in any hospital or clinic in the northern region to play negligence that will lead to the death of a patient and urged all authorities manning the various health centers to reorient their staff attitudes towards patients.
Naa Alhaji Abdulai Alhassan’s appeal follows the death of a pregnant woman some few weeks ago at the Tamale Central Hospital as a result of alleged negligence of health personnel.
The Gukpe-Naa also appealed to the authorities of various hospitals to collaborate with traditional rulers and share their problems with them so that they can all help address challenges hindering their quest in delivering quality health care to the people in the region.
This, Gukpe-Naa said, was the only way health professionals can help prevent pregnant women and children from dying.
The chief made the appeal when he presented two hundred tubers of yam and a bull to the management of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) for the good work they have been doing for the past few years.
The yams and the bull were to help hospital authorities prepare meals for patients at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Gukpe-Naa was addressing some doctors and top management of TTH on issues confronting the hospital and also to lay their concerns about the activities of health professionals in Tamale.
The Gukpe-Naa who was accompanied by some prominent chiefs in the Gukpegu traditional area described the death of the pregnant woman as unfortunate and that never again should such an incident happen in his jurisdiction.
Alhaji Alhassan Abdulai on behalf his colleague chiefs in the region said the management and board of TTH should consider including the people in the hospital catchment area into the board.
According to him, the people in the region especially, the traditional rulers are left out in any consultation regarding their activities and their role in the building of the hospital cannot be underestimated. He told management of the only teaching hospital in Northern Upper West and Upper East regions that, the chiefs can lay problems confronting the hospital before the politicians without any fear or favour and that if there is proper consultation, duty bearers will be compelled to address it at least for not anything but for power.
The Chief Executive Officer of TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe thanked the Gukpe-Naa and other traditional rulers for their support.
Dr Sagoe assured traditional authorities of his outfit’s readiness to collaborate with traditional rulers in the region. ’’It is not everywhere that we get the opportunity to meet with chiefs and when we meet with them they give us a very good advice; and we appreciate that,’’ TTH CEO stated.
He said the visit and the chiefs’ calls for more meetings and interactions with traditional rulers and the people are in a right direction adding that the collaboration must be deepened and it should be regular not once in a while.
Dr Sagoe therefore urged management and the board to take it up as a very important agenda quarterly at the TTH every year.
Responding to the attitudes of some health personnel raised by the Gukpe-Naa, the TTH CEO said his outfit is currently training midwives and some doctors on how they should behave towards patients and their relatives.
