Honorary Senior Specialists and Consultants with the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have expressed their willingness to support the new CEO of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in his renewed efforts to improve the standard of clinical care provided at the facility.
They declared that they completely support Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, the new CEO, in his enthusiasm to convert the hospital into one that is really patient-centered, and that they will collaborate with him in putting the best patient care policies and interventions into place to make this a reality.
The Consultants pledged during a meeting called by the incoming CEO and held in Kumasi.
The purpose of the meeting was for him to formally introduce himself to that group of employees and to enlist their help in advancing his hospital reform agenda. Prof. Christian Agyare, Provost of the College of Health Sciences, and Prof. Daniel Ansong, Dean of SMD, KNUST, were present.
The clinical consultants highlighted that although though they were KNUST employees, they spent the most of their time at the hospital educating their medical students and providing clinical care. They took turns speaking following the CEO's introductory comments. They regretted, however, that due to a number of unjust and discriminatory policies and practises that had been implemented during the previous few years, their relationship with the hospital's administration had not been the best.
They offered a list of suggestions that, if implemented, would enable them to devote their all to enhancing patient care, training, and research at the hospital. They thanked the new CEO for his willingness to include the group and other stakeholders in the management of the hospital.
They urged the hospital's management to stop making distinctions between its staff and the KNUST employees who work there when it comes to issues of capacity-building, staff motivation, appointments, and acknowledging hard work as they provide the same specialised care and training as would be expected of any other KATH employee. Other issues they cited for immediate solutions were the requirement to persuade consultants to remain on the job and to make room for the instruction and testing of medical students.
They acknowledged that KNUST and its hospital personnel occasionally put their own interests ahead of those of KATH, but they also advocated for a paradigm shift in the partnership between the two organisations to assure their mutual growth and development.
They asked their members to set good examples as the hospital's top clinicians by making an effort to be there during their shifts to provide and oversee patient care and training.
Prof. Addai-Mensah expressed his appreciation for the meeting's high-powered representation of the university and the candour of the discussions.
He emphasised that when he first began his training at the hospital as a house officer and resident, there was no distinction between the medical professionals from KNUST and KATH because they both collaborated in the patient care and teaching of medical students and residents.
He remarked, "I am delighted that all the Honorary Senior Specialists and Consultants at this conference have acknowledged this and vowed to try their utmost to fix the situation. The recent differences between the two groups have adversely impacted the quality of patient treatment at the hospital."
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