The quality and accessibility of health care services have registered a marked progress over the last decade owing to hospital reform activities triggered by the successive implementation of Health Sector Development Plans (HSDP), the sector’s professionals say.
National Hospital Reform Expert with the Ministry of Health (MoH) Abiy Dawit asserts that the reform activities have strengthened hospitals’ management capacities for the move promote all public hospitals to meet operational standards. It brought about positive outcomes in clinical care and patient satisfaction, Abiy underlines.
Previous long queues had been cut short. Patients can now get health care services in a reasonable time, he noted, adding every hospital has ensured clean, safe and comfortable health facility.
St. Peter’s TB Specialized Hospital Chief Executive Director Yakob Semaneh also builds on this saying that the reform paved the way for professionals to enter into continous professional development programs. “Professionals of the hospital are organized into ten health posts and receive recurring tutorials.”
In addition, the hospital has also been working to sustain the culture of empathy, respect and care among its professionals.
Debre Berhan Referral Hospital Chief Executive Officer Polis Abebe for his part noted that patients’ call for safe and prompt health care services had previously fallen on deaf ears. The reform activities, however, transformed the services.
“We are providing improved services to 2.8 million people in our catchment area ever since the activity started. Few to mention, neonatal [newborn] intensive care unit has been established. Our maternal health and antennal care [pregnancy follow ups] have stood at 98.1 per cent in 2017.”
Hospitals share best experiences among themselves, Polis noted, highlighting that this and other achievements helped the Hospital to win a five million Birr grant from MoH.
Likewise, Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College Medical Director Dr. Daniel Abebe has proven the effectiveness of the reform. “Professionals of the institution have clear standards to meet. And the ultimate goal of the standards is improving the health status of its customers.”
One painful process facing patients had been waiting for long hours to get the services, but the innovative and computerized efforts gave it an end. “The hospital provided services to 200, 000 patients in the last nine months from previous year’s same period 160, 000.”
There is also plan to boost the service provision. “Ministry of Health allocated two million USD for the renovation of the hospital as well as construction of delivery and neonatal center.
Yet, the pharmacy services have been made more transparent and accountable through implementing Auditable Pharmacy, while it has installed modern equipment for the disposal of clinical waste.
Despite the encouraging results of the reform, there are still visible constraints pertaining to shortages of inpatient beds and drugs, among other. Thus, the reform process needs to get further momentum.