PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO CUTS SOD FOR NEW 400-BED MATERNITY BLOCK; 101-BED UROLOGY CENTRE AT KORLE-BU
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, broke the ground for the construction and equipping of a twelve (12) storey four hundred (400) bed Maternity and Gynaecological Centre, and a two (2) storey one hundred and one (101) bed Urology and Nephrology Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
It will be recalled that, on 6th December, 2018, during his visit to Korle Bu, where he commissioned the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre for the Hospital, the President was struck by the poor state of the Maternity Block.
“I promised to remedy the situation, as the current state of the building is not fit for purpose. Today’s ceremony is a fulfillment of the pledge I made,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo noted that the commencement of work on these two projects, in addition to the re-activation of construction work on the abandoned seven hundred and fifty (750) bed Maternity and Children’s Block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, will significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country.
This, he explained, are further testimony to the commitment of Government to improve Ghana’s country’s healthcare infrastructure, and move the country steadily towards the goal of achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage for all.
Once completed, the 400-bed Maternity Block facility, President Akufo-Addo, said, “will contribute to addressing the persistent challenges of high maternal and child health morbidity and mortality in Ghana. It will also accelerate our progress towards the achievement of the SDGs through enhanced access to quality maternal and child health services.”
To this end, Government has secured an amount of one hundred and forty-five million, two hundred and twenty thousand euros (€145,220,000) from Standard Chartered Bank to cover the cost of the project, with an export credit guarantee from Swedish Export Credit towards the reconstruction of the maternity block.
The 12-storey maternity block will have a four hundred (400) bed capacity; twenty (20) labour delivery rooms; one hundred (100) seater waiting area; twenty-six (26) recovery wards; eighteen (18) treatment rooms; twenty-four (24) consulting rooms; seven (7) theatres; IVF services; ten (10) room accommodation for new mothers; thirty-two (32) seater restaurant, with a preparation area; and an emergency unit with its own triage and operating theatre.
When completed, the Centre will be the first public facility to deliver IVF services in the Country.
Cutting the sod for the construction of the €38 million Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence, also at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, President Akufo-Addo stated that the project is being funded by Raiffessen Bank International AG Ltd of Austria, with OeKB Group, also from Austria, providing insurance cover of €4,666,950.
It will offer advanced treatment for persons with genito-urinary conditions, chronic and acute kidney failures, as well as nephrology services such as kidney transplants.
“The two (2) storey Urology and Nephrology Centre will have a thirty-one (31) suite dialysis station for persons with kidney disorders, and seventy (70) beds for genito-urinary patients. The Centre will also provide out-patient services, and serve as a resource base to conduct research into urology and nephrology cases,” he said.
The President was confident that the construction of these facilities at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital will put Korle Bu “in a strong position to give meaning to medical tourism services to neighbouring countries, thereby increasing its revenue base to expand services”.
Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu for his part said government was on track to deliver on its promise to provide the needed health facilities across the country.
He urged the management of the KBTH to collaborate with the appropriate agencies to undertake a comprehensive redevelopment of the entire hospital to meet its growing demand.
