THE doctor-patient ratio in the Western Region is alarming, a situation which puts pressure on the doctors manning more than 357 health facilities in the region.
According to the ratio, one doctor is responsible for 33,000 patients.
As a result, some patients, who attend health facilities, join queues and those who are unable to see doctors, have to return home without being attended to.
The region with a population of about 1.9 million, has only 68 doctors and 1,210 nurses, making it very difficult for them to provide the needed healthcare for the people in the region.
Some doctors also refuse posting to communities in the districts since there are limited opportunities for them to make additional money by working as part time doctors or undertaking other private activities.
The situation compels doctors in the districts to work for 24 hours daily, seven days in a week.
Some of the health facilities in the region are without doctors.
In his presentation, when he took his turn at the regional “meet the press” in Takoradi, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo deplored the situation and said the government would do everything possible to improve on it.
Other factors identified among the main problems affecting quality health delivery were lack of accommodation to attract doctors and nurses and lack of improved infrastructure at various government health centres in the region.
The regional minister said the health of the people was among the top priorities of the government, adding that the government had received a loan from the Chinese Government for the construction of a well-equipped regional hospital.
Mr Aidoo said other major projects the government started last year included the construction of a modern hospital at Tarkwa at a cost of GH¢16.5 million, adding that about 50 per cent of work on it had been completed.
He said a new GH¢15 million health centre at Dadieso had also been completed.
Mr Aidoo stated that the regional health directorate took delivery of four Pick-up vehicles, 27 saloon cars, 400 motorbikes and medical equipment to boost health service delivery in the region.
He observed that the region had made significant progress in the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the region as about 70 per cent outpatients who attended the health facilities in the region were insured.
The Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologu, commended the people in the region for their commitment to the development of the region.
Heads of departments, municipal, metropolitan and district chief executives, as well as traditional rulers across the region, attended the function.
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