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ST. JOSEPH'S
HOSPITAL EFFIDUASI, KOFORIDUA, GHANA
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Entrance to St. Joseph's Hospital |
Out Patients at St.
Joseph's Hospital |
Ward at St. Joseph's
Hospital |
St Joseph's Hospital is sited in
the Eastern Regional Capital and serves a population of around
250,000. It is a Catholic Mission Hospital which aims to provide
effective and affordable care in Primary Health, General Medicine
and Orthopaedic Trauma to all, regardless of ethnic or religious
background.
In its ambition to
provide high quality healthcare, the hospital has sponsored local
doctors and other healthcare professionals to travel to the U.K. for
Postgraduate training. There are plans to upgrade the facilities and
standard of care to the level of a University Teaching Hospital.
With approximately 180
beds, St. Joseph's is one of the few orthopaedic hospitals in Ghana
with a surprising catchment area encompassing the entire West
African Sub-continent. Patients from the Ivory Coast, Nigeria,
Burkina Fasso, Liberia and Togo are not uncommon at the hospital. In
2004, there were 32,192 new out-patients and 9,881 re- attendees,
with 11% from outside the Eastern Region and 1% from neighbouring
countries. Total admissions were 1,262 with 53 reported deaths. A
total of 1,119 surgical procedures were carried out, around 60%
being related to Orthopaedic Trauma. The Primary Heath Care Unit saw
60 new patients diagnosed with AIDS.
In annual report
of 2004, the Hospital states, “we are so much constrained in
improving the existing facilities in the theatre, OPD and the Wards
since we have limited funding with a great deal of pressure from
unpaid bills by some patients, especially in emergency care.”
Patients with bone and
joint conditions which require basic skills and equipment to treat
them, wait in wards for months due to a shortage of skilled
manpower, medical materials and the cost of implants. Following the
sudden death of one of the Senior Orthopaedic Surgeons in November
2006 (Dr. Oware Mensah of
blessed memory, ex Medical Director), St. Joseph’s has been left
with a single Orthopaedic Surgeon to cope with its increasing
workload.
The Hospital has around
150 employees and the Government of Ghana supports the hospital
financially by paying Staff salaries. St. Joseph’s has encouraged
visits by Orthopaedic/Surgical teams from Germany and Holland, and
recently Motec Life-UK from the UK, to assist the Hospital in
improving the services and care available to patients.
The local healthcare
workers are committed to improving the service they provide the
community but need the support and guidance of many
organisations to maintain orthopaedic trauma services. Integral to this support is the education
programme that Motec Life-UK undertakes at St. Joseph’s
hospital. Improvements in basic facilities such as sterilisation of
theatre equipment, powered instruments, waste disposal and peri-operative
care still require human and material support if the hospital is to
meet the needs of the patients. It is really the local commitment
that drives us to support them in building their infrastructure and
skill base.
More photos...
Motec Reports
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