He said that followed the procurement of €138 million funding to complete the project and commended the government for securing the funding for the project.

Speaking at the annual thanksgiving and staff awards ceremony of the hospital in Kumasi last Friday, Dr Owusu-Danso said work on the block had been awarded to Contracta UK Ltd and that it was expected to be completed within 30 months.

Benefits

When completed, he explained, the project would be the largest investment made in the expansion of the hospital since its construction in 1955.

“It will consist of 800 beds, nine operating theatres, offices, lecture halls, a staff cafeteria and other ultra-modern facilities to provide a world-class environment for the care of our children and mothers,” he said.

He added that the facility would help resolve or effectively reduce the worsening congestion at the hospital and its associated mortalities.

Dr Owusu-Danso said the completion of the project would complement the gains made from the Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II Centre donated by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, to the hospital two years ago.

“Management is aware of the very significant drop in neonatal, infant and child mortality and, therefore, the critical need for the completion and the expected impact of the huge Maternity and Children’s Block cannot be over-emphasised,” he said.

Achievements

He described 2019 as a year of “achievements and feats” for the hospital, as the facility chalked up a lot of milestones in the course of the year.

He said it procured new oxygen plants to replace the old one which became obsolete and could not produce enough to meet demand.

The CEO of KATH stated that with the support of the board and approval from the government, KATH procured two ultra-modern oxygen plants at a cost of GH¢5.4 million, funded entirely from its internally generated funds (IGF).

The hospital also recorded a medical feat during the year by performing a device occluder closure procedure, in partnership with experts from the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital of China, he said.

He said with the minimally invasive technique, “two children with hole in heart had their conditions successfully corrected without undergoing the more stressful open-heart surgery”.

According to him, the new technique ensured that the patients spent less time at the hospital and were discharged two days after the procedure.

“Management is determined to sustain and further develop the service for the benefit of patients through more skilful training and the acquisition of all relevant equipment,” Dr Owusu-Danso said.

Staff welfare

As part of measures to improve the welfare of its staff, he said, the hospital had introduced free breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening for staff aged 40 and above.

He said that was done consciously as a result of the rising incidents of those cancers in the country and the crucial role early detection and treatment played in saving victims from avoidable deaths.

Awards

Some deserving members of staff were rewarded for their hard work over the years, with Mr Emmanuel Wireko Brobbey of the Electrical Engineering Unit emerging as the overall best worker for 2019.

He was presented with a cheque for GH¢15,000.