Ho Teaching Hospital Addresses Rising Demand and Mortality Rates…

The Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) seeks to become Ghana’s leading medical tourism hub despite challenges like overcrowding and rising mortality rates. CEO Dr. John Tampuori reported increased outpatient visits, staff growth, and diagnostic procedures, but also an unsettling rise in maternal and overall mortality rates. HTH aims to enhance healthcare services while promoting medical tourism as a vital economic sector in Ghana.

The Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) aims to become Ghana’s leading hub for medical tourism, facing challenges such as growing patient numbers, overcrowded wards, and increasing mortality rates. In the 2024 Annual Performance Review Conference, Dr. John Tampuori, CEO of HTH, reported significant progress and ongoing issues. The delivery of services has notably increased but has resulted in a shortage of hospital beds and a rise in mortality rates.

Dr. Tampuori indicated that the staff count at HTH expanded from 1,532 in 2023 to 1,590 in 2024, excluding clinical staff from the University of Health and Allied Sciences, who supported service delivery. The attrition rate among medical personnel, however, increased from 63 to 83 in the same period, which he highlighted as a concern while emphasizing a commitment to retaining skilled staff.

Patient services demonstrated a slight increase in Outpatient Department visits, rising from 211,104 in 2023 to 212,129 in 2024, indicating heightened public trust. Nevertheless, total hospital admissions decreased from 11,769 to 10,936, and bed occupancy rates increased from 68.9% to 73.5% while maintaining an average stay length of six days. Surgical procedures saw a minor decline from 2,571 to 2,518.

There was an alarming increase in maternal mortality, which rose from 18 to 20 deaths between 2023 and 2024, marking 1,170 deaths per 100,000 live births. In contrast, neonatal mortality rates showed improvement, decreasing from 63 to 55 deaths, equating to 833 per 1,000 live births. Dr. Tampuori stressed HTH’s dedication to enhancing maternal and neonatal healthcare services to further curb mortality rates.

HTH witnessed advancements in diagnostic services, with radiology procedures rising from 19,622 to 20,050 and ultrasound procedures increasing from 6,799 to 8,041. Laboratory procedures also grew from 124,596 to 128,635. The hospital has partnered with local and international healthcare organizations to improve service quality and acknowledged a rise in total hospital deaths from 1,002 to 1,010, resulting in an increased mortality rate from 8.6% to 9.4%.

Looking ahead, HTH aims to meet international healthcare standards and expand community outreach initiatives while investing in research and development to enhance service quality. Mr. Kafui Kanyi, Medical Tourism Coordinator at HTH, highlighted the potential of the medical tourism sector to create jobs and boost Ghana’s GDP. He urged the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts to develop health tourism as a specialized sector and the Ministry of Health to empower hospitals with international accreditation and introduce policies to position Ghana competitively in healthcare.

HTH leaders remain optimistic that through stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships, and government backing, the hospital can become Ghana’s foremost destination for medical tourism while improving healthcare for local and international patients.

In conclusion, the Ho Teaching Hospital is actively working to position itself as a premier medical tourism hub while addressing significant challenges, including overcrowded conditions and rising mortality rates. While patient services have seen slight improvements, concerns regarding maternal mortality and healthcare staff retention remain critical. HTH’s leadership is committed to enhancing service quality through strategic partnerships and community outreach, with a vision to uplift Ghana’s healthcare system and the economy through medical tourism.

Original Source: gna.org.gh