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Tag: Manhyia Hospital

  • Expand congested maternity ward – Manhyia Hosptial management to govt

    Manhyia Government Hospital in the Ashanti Region is calling on the government to urgently renovate its maternity ward.

    The hospital’s management revealed that the ward, designed for 23 beds, now handles about 80 deliveries every week.

    Medical Superintendent, Dr. Kamarudeen Korku Hussein, highlighted that due to the overcrowding, some pregnant women are forced to give birth on the floor, posing serious health risks.

    “Currently the maternity unit that we have, has 23 beds. That’s the capacity we have which is woefully inadequate looking at the number of deliveries that we do.”

    “There was a day that the king himself came here. There were a lot of people lying on the floor, so nobody was happy to see a mother delivered on the floor, so it was a very dire situation for us,” he told JoyNews.

    He added, “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that we talk about, quality of care is part of it, the person who is delivering the care, himself or herself must be healthy, so if we have mothers on the floor, it means that the health worker will have to bend down and be attending to the client on the floor, within a couple of months, you will start having low back pain, so you the healthcare worker yourself you are not healthy.”

    The Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has stressed the need for the government to take additional steps to tackle the challenges facing the health sector.

    “It is the responsibility of the government to invest in the health sector,” he said.

    During his speech on the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Kwabena Mintah Akandoh cited instances of “ailing hospitals” in Parliament.

    “That is the way we can get them to do the right thing. These are people who don’t really care, if you are really responsible government in place, even after hearing this news, somebody must be answering some questions, the President or the Vice President or the Minister must quickly find out what is

  • Manwerehene urges striking Manhyia hospital nurses to return to post

    Nurses at the Manhyia Hospital have been urged by the Manwerehene of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, Baafuor (Dr) Ossei Hyeaman Brentuo VI, to end their ongoing strike.

    He claimed that because the Manhyia Hospital serves as the first port of call for local chiefs, a strike would worry the traditional leaders who live in Manhyia.

    After giving the government a 72-hour ultimatum to fire Alex Opoku-Mensah, the director of the Ashanti Regional National Service Secretariat, the nurses at the Manhyia Hospital began an indefinite strike action earlier today.

    Their request follows Mr. Opoku-verbal Mensah’s abuse of the on-duty nurse for treating his daughter disrespectfully.

    The Manwerehene described the circumstance as really unfortunate in an interview with JoyNews.

    “It is a very unfortunate situation but I trust that if we appeal to the feuding parties, specially the nurses that are now set to go on strike, we’ll plead with them to just have some patience for us. I called the Medical Superintendent who informed me that attempts have been made to resolve it.

    “Unfortunately, it looks like the decision to stop the strike should come from above. The leadership of the nurses association has come up with the decision based upon what they think has been unfairly done to one of their members. We will plead with them.

    “Manhyia Hospital is our first point of call. Almost all the chiefs who come to Manhyia or those that reside in Manhyia go there.”

    The CEO also promised that the required actions will be done to prevent similar issues in the future.
    Meanwhile, the Manwerehene has stated that he has reached out to senior members within the palace to help find a solution to the problem.

  • Lydia Forson, other celebrities wade into NSS boss – Manhyia hospital brouhaha

    Ghanaians have been reacting to the audio of the Ashanti Regional NSS director, Alex Opoku-Mensah, verbally abusing a nurse at the Manhyia Hospital.

    They two were engaged in a heated argument. This according to reports occurred after the nurse called the daughter of the NSS boss who is a house officer to suggest a change in prescription because what the latter prescribed was unavailable at the pharmacy.

    According to further reports the house officer took offence at how the nurse spoke with her, thus protested.

    Further reports indicate that the house officer was in the company of her father when she spoke with the nurse on phone. As such, Mr. Opoku-Mensah was infuriated by the turn of events and followed his daughter to the hospital.

    In an audio recording that has gone viral, Mr. Opoku-Mensah said, “you are very frustrated…Who born dog?…you envy her, you don’t respect. Are you a doctor? Who are you? Are you mad? Is the hospital yours? Stupid idiot.. that your useless nursing that you do, useless woman… Do you know who I am? I am the Regional Director of National Service Scheme. Some of you are under me.”

    The NSS director has come under heavy fire over this act. Scores of celebrities have been commenting on the development. Actress Lydia Forson has condemned the act, stressing that there was no justification for it.

    Reacting to a comment from a netizen who accused the actress of not knowing the facts of the matter before commenting on it, she said “what FACTS will justify his presence there and the things he said? Even if the nurse was rude, intimidating and all the other allegations against her; it did NOT warrant the things the father said or his presence there. That’s the case here, nothing more.”

    Ghanaian presenter, Bridget Otoo also reacted to the issue.

    Meanwhile, management of the National Service Secretariat (NSS) has taken up the matter. It announced in a statement on November 29, 2022 that it has commenced investigations into the matter.

    Currently NSS has indicated that it has invited its Ashanti Regional Director for preliminary investigations.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • That is not my style –Head of Ashanti Regional NSS sorry for insulting nurses

    The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), Alex Opoku-Mensah has made an unqualified apology for verbally assaulting a nurse at the Manhyia Hospital.

    The Nurse corrected his daughter’s wrongful prescription for a two-year-old convulsion patient.

    Mr Opoku-Mensah stated on Facebook that the method he used to deal with the conflict between his daughter, a doctor, and the nurse “has never been my style.”

    He attempted to mediate the dispute between the two because he considered the nurse involved to be his daughter as well.

    He was therefore remorseful of his behaviour.

    “I do apologise for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such,” he promised.

    On Monday morning, Mr Opoku Mensah was reported to have barged into the surgical ward of the hospital, where his daughter is currently serving as a house officer, to verbally abuse and threaten the nurse.

    According to eyewitnesses, the medical officer prescribed the wrong dosage for a two-year-old convulsion patient.

    The nurse upon noticing the medical blunder called on the young doctor to rectify the wrongful medication.

    However, sources say the house officer took offence and reported the issue to her father who later visited the health facility to angrily insult the nurse.

    Meanwhile, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has since issued a statement calling for the immediate removal of the Mr Opoku-Mensah from office for the misbehaviour.

    “The Public Services Commission and Government for that matter should sack the said Regional Director immediately because he is not fit for the director position he holds in public service.

    “He had absolutely no right to enter Manhyia hospital and verbally abuse and threaten the nurse in question who was on duty at the time,” the statement read.

    The nurses threatened that they will call upon their members at the facility to boycott their duties if Mr. Opoku-Mensah is not sacked within the next 72 hours.

  • ‘This has never been my style’ – Ashanti NSS Director issues apology for ‘mishap’

    The National Service Scheme Director in the Ashanti Region, Alex Opoku-Mensah, who has been caught in the middle of an altercation that he had with a nurse at the Manhyia Hospital, has issued an apology.

    This follows a viral audio that captured the NSS director on tape verbally attacking a staff nurse at the Manhyia District Hospital.

    In the audio recording of the incident, Mr. Alex Poku-Mensah is heard hurling insults and threats at the nurse for allegedly intimidating his daughter, who is a house officer at the hospital.

    But in an apology shared on his Facebook page, Alex Poku-Mensah stated that what happened was not his style.

    “I understand the disappointment and appreciate the inconvenience my action has caused the general public as well as the nursing fraternity and Manhyia Hospital.

    “This has never been my style but for a genuine reason to mediate a persistent issue between my daughter (doctor) and a colleague nurse who I as well consider my daughter,” he wrote.

    He described what happened as a ‘mishap’ and asked for forgiveness.

    “I do apologize for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such. I look forward to maintaining a cordial relationship between any affected person,” he added.

    Read his full statement below:

    Background:

    The Ashanti Regional Director for the National Service Secretariat, Mr. Alex Poku Mensah, has been captured on tape verbally attacking a staff nurse at the Manhyia District Hospital.

    In the audio recording of the incident, Mr. Alex Poku Mensah is heard hurling insults and threats at the nurse for allegedly intimidating his daughter, who is a house officer at the hospital.

    According to multiple reports, the said nurse is said to have called Mr Poku Mensah’s daughter on phone to inform her about the need for her to return to the facility to update a patient’s record on the hospital’s patient management system.

    But the regional NSS director, in the company of his daughter, stormed the hospital to accuse the nurse of intimidation.

    Mr. Poku Mensah, in a heated exchange with the nurse, is heard verbally attacking her while touting his position and threatening to transfer the nurse from the hospital.

    “If she does anything, come and inform me; I will use my power to ensure she is removed from here. I’ve introduced myself; I am the National Service Regional Director,” Mr. Opoku is heard shouting at the nurse.

    The nurse in return is heard saying, “do you also know me? Do you know my father?” To which a furious Mr. Opoku retorted, saying, “Fool, does the work belong to your father?”

    Meanwhile, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association GRNMA has called for the sacking of Mr Alex Poku from office.

    According to the association, the conduct of the Regional NSS Director at the Manhyia Hospital makes him unfit to occupy the position.

    The association has warned that it will recall the services of its members at the hospital if the government fails to heed the demand for his dismissal within 72 hours.

    “We wish to state categorically that if the government does not relieve Mr. Alex Poku Mensah of his duty as Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Scheme within 72 hours, nurses and midwives of Manhyia Hospital will be called upon to lay down their tools, followed by the whole of Ashanti Region and then it will be escalated to the whole nation,” the Association said in the statement dated November 29, 2022.