The Tamale Technical University (TaTU) Hospital is appealing for urgent infrastructure expansion to cope with growing demand for healthcare services from communities beyond the university environment.
Director of University Health Services at the facility, Dr Adaysle Martin Atuguba, said the hospital’s current 53-bed capacity is inadequate, forcing health workers to attend to some patients on chairs, treatment couches and, in some cases, on the floor.
He made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a ceremony where Oxfam in Ghana, through its Power to Choose project, donated medical equipment, essential medicines and health commodities valued at GH¢1,497,928.66 to support maternal, newborn and sexual and reproductive healthcare services at the hospital.
Dr Atuguba said the pressure on the facility has increased significantly over the years due to growing patronage, making additional wards, consulting rooms and treatment areas necessary to improve patient care.
He explained that although the hospital was originally established to serve students and staff of Tamale Technical University, they now account for less than five percent of patients accessing services at the facility.
According to him, residents from communities including Nyohini, Gumbihini, Kukuo, Sagnarigu and other parts of the Northern Region increasingly rely on the hospital because of the quality of healthcare provided.
Dr Atuguba noted that the completion of the hospital’s new theatre would further increase demand for services, as the facility would soon be able to perform major surgeries that were previously referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
“Although health workers continue to provide care to everyone who seeks treatment, it is important to address the infrastructure challenges to enhance access to quality healthcare delivery,” he said.
He appealed to government, development partners and corporate organisations to support the expansion of the facility to enable it to meet the healthcare needs of the growing population in the Sagnarigu Municipality and beyond.
Dr Atuguba described the donation from Oxfam Ghana and its partners as timely, noting that several of the items supplied were previously unavailable at the hospital and would improve emergency response and maternal healthcare delivery.
He also commended Oxfam Ghana, Norsaac and the Ghana Health Service for supporting the training of more than 10 medical doctors and midwives, saying the capacity-building initiatives had strengthened healthcare workers’ skills and confidence in managing maternal, newborn and adolescent sexual and reproductive health cases.
The hospital director expressed optimism that continued investment in infrastructure, equipment and human resource development would enable TaTU Hospital to provide more efficient and accessible healthcare services to residents of the Northern Region.
