Negative attitude of health staff affecting health service delivery

12-04-2011 N
The attitude of some health service providers at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital particularly, qualified and student nurses is steadily retrogressing despite several cautions by senior health officials at the hospital. Information reaching Radio Ghana indicates that services rendered to clients patronizing the health facility is nothing to write home about, as patients are treated with contempt and to some extent subjected to insult and disdain. The attitude of some of these health service providers is said to be having serious repercussions on health service delivery in the region. This unfortunate development moreover remains a major public concern and a serious challenge to quality care. The situation has undeniably compelled some clients to resort to self medication since they are not given the needed care and attention they deserve from their health providers. Some patients who spoke to Radio Ghana on condition of anonymity suggested lack of discipline as the major cause of this negative attitude and called for attitudinal change since it deepening their woes. To them, much is expected from health professionals manning the various health facilities in the region, and that, if care is not taken, people will resort to the traditional way of treating ailments, which to them is dangerous since they would be exposed to quack and unprofessional healers in the system. To them, such negative attitudes and behaviours are imported from the various health training institutions into the Ghana Health Service. A teacher by profession, Madam Rosina Abila, who vehemently spoke to Radio Ghana, charged the principals and heads of the various health training institutions in the region to do a thorough background check on students recruited into their schools to help stem the problem, which she indicated could assume a disastrous dimension when not approached with tall the seriousness it deserves. She also challenged the GHS to institute punitive measures against any health professional caught maltreating a client stressing that the problem when not looked into, would continue to be an obstacle militating against maternal and infant mortality in the region’s health sector delivery. Reacting to the issue, the Medical Director of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, Dr. Peter Baffuor, said the attitude of some health staff had been a source of worry to the health sector of the region, considering their effort in addressing most of the health challenges confronting the region and touched on the inadequate doctors and nurses to man the facility. He said management as part of effort in dealing with the situation has instituted the issuance of identity cards (ID) to all staff of the hospital and are yet to give directive to all principals of health training institutions to provide ID cards for their students serving at the hospital. Dr. Baffuor appealed to patients to lodge their complaint at the front desk of the hospital, where a complaint box has been provided and be ready and willing to expose any staff that misbehaves towards them. He later took the opportunity to urge all staff to show love and compassion to their clients since they are mandated to serve the people and not to worsen their pain and suffering. Dr. Baffour said management will deal decisively with any staff found culpable to serve as deterrent to others.

GBC END IA