[ad_1]
the 47 year old abandoned maternity block The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) will be completed in 36 months, said President Akufo-Addo.
According to him, a financing of 155 million euros for the project has been fully secured through the German Deutsche Bank and the UK Export Finance.
“I am very happy to be in Kumasi today, the [corona]virus [outbreak] despite mowing the lawn so the work finally begins, ”said the president.
Speaking at the lawn mowing ceremony in Kumasi, Akufo-Addo said that once completed, the 750-bed facility would serve as a referral center for 12 of Ghana’s 16 regions.
The center, he said, would have an outpatient department, an obstetrics unit, 10 operating rooms, conference rooms, among others.
“The completion of this project is dear to my heart,” he said, adding that it would help the country’s drive to achieve the goals set out in the Sustainable Development Goals on maternal and child health.
The blatant abandonment of the project drew public outcry after JoyNews’ special assignment documentary “Next to Die” produced by Seth Kwame Boateng.
The documentary highlighted how dozens of babies and mothers died at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital due to congestion.
Lives were lost daily as a result of congestion at KATH, the second largest university hospital in the country.
Agenda 88
The president further reiterated his promise to put a district hospital in the 88 districts without one.
He said that seven regions of the country without regional hospitals will also receive one; “All of which must be done within a year.”
This, he said, would close the gap in access to health care across the country.
“The government is committed to providing access to medical care to all Ghanaians, no matter where they are, as every Ghanaian has the right to good health and good medical care,” he said.
