Ghana: Tamale Teaching Hospital Gets Modern Infrastructure

A modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, worth over 1 million Euros, is being installed at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to improve upon healthcare at the hospital.Among the benefits that the hospital would gain from the infrastructure is that it would be able to practise telemedicine which will, among other things, allow physicians in other parts of the world to watch and participate in surgical operations being performed at the TTH without them being physically present.
The development of the modern infrastructure has been made possible through the efforts of a Ghanaian ICT engineer in the Netherlands, Mr Clement Adu Twum, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe, told the media in Tamale that Mr Twum delivered a large quantity of ICT equipment to the hospital which was being used to develop the infrastructure.
The items included 200 computers, 30 laptops, 10 servers, 60 network printers, UPS and several other networking tools, as well as office and conference furniture.
‘’The installation is already underway at the new block and we are hoping that in the new few weeks it’ 11 be completed, ‘’he said, adding that Vodafone had already extended its fibre optic fibre to the hospital to enable it to connect to the Internet.
Dr Sagoe said the completion of the project would transform the operations of the hospital significantly, particularly in the management of staff database, patient information, finance and client service. “Our vision is to operate a paperless system and so this is important step towards realising this vision,’’ he noted.
The CEO also indicated that the ICT facilities would improve research and the training of general and specialised physicians at the hospital.
Mr Twum visited Ghana last year under the auspices of the IOM with the task of exploring how to use ICT to transform Ghana’s health sector as part of the IOM’S Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) project.
On his return to the Netherlands, he mobilised the ICT equipment and consequently returned to Ghana to install the equipment at the TTH.
In an interview, Mr Twum indicated how delighted he was to have succeeded in helping to transform the TTH, which was already undergoing massive rehabilitation and expansion.
“We have spent a few weeks here configuring the network system, which is a lot of work because we have to gather lots of information regarding the nature of work of the various sections.’’ He stated.
He credited the Dutch Government and students of ROC Mondriaan, a school in Netherlands, for helping to make the project a reality and urged other Ghanaian professionals outside to return home and help transform the country.
The Field Manager for MIDA-Ghana, Mr Daniel Sam, told this paper that the MIDA-Ghana Health project sought to bring Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora back home to develop the health sector.
“MIDA project is an integral part of the IOM’s strategy to help governments in Africa to engage positively with their citizens in the developed world to enhance local development,’’ he said.
Source: Daily Graphic