Put Your Phones Away!

 Board Chair Warns Nurses, Demands Focus and Discipline

By Philip Antoh | The New Republic

The newly appointed Board Chairman of Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH), Sir Sam Bennet, has fired a stern warning to nurses and doctors at the facility: stop fiddling with mobile phones during working hours or risk undermining the hospital’s mission.

Speaking moments after signing a performance contract with the Ministry of Health, Sir Bennet didn’t mince words. “This is a teaching hospital, not a phone lounge,” he said. “We need total commitment, not distractions.”

The outspoken chairman, who brings five decades of private sector experience to the public health space, pledged to invest his “time, treasure and talent” to elevate STH into a top-tier medical institution. But he made it clear that staff discipline must match the ambition.

“Help us build a hospital that rivals the best in Ghana. We may be the youngest teaching hospital, but we won’t settle for last place,” he declared.

Acting CEO Dr. Cardinal Kofi Newton echoed the urgency, revealing that the hospital recently upgraded from regional status now handles referrals from Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, parts of Ashanti, and even Côte d’Ivoire. But the surge in demand is straining resources.

“Our biggest challenge is equipment,” Dr. Newton admitted. “Thankfully, the Minister is pushing a public-private partnership to address that.”

Beyond logistics, human capital remains a concern. Newton said the Ministry has deployed additional nurses to bolster the workforce, while STH has sent several doctors for further training. “In two to three years, they’ll return better equipped to serve,” he added.

The CEO assured the Minister that the performance contract will serve as a blueprint for accountability and excellence. “We’re ready to raise the bar and deliver the care our patients deserve,” he said.

With leadership calling for discipline, investment, and reform, the message from Sunyani is loud and clear: the phones must go down, and the standards must go up.