The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has achieved significant advancements in healthcare delivery and infrastructure development during the first half of 2024.
These accomplishments were highlighted by the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, during the opening ceremony of KATH’s 2024 Mid-Year Performance Review Conference held today.
In his address, Prof. Addai-Mensah expressed deep gratitude to the hospital’s stakeholders—including the Board, staff, unions, and philanthropists—for their unwavering support, which has resulted in noticeable improvements in both infrastructure and operational efficiency at the hospital.
He underscored the importance of the year’s theme, “The New KATH Agenda—Recalibrating Efforts for Enhanced Health Service Outcomes: The Role of Stakeholders,” attributing the hospital’s progress to these collaborative efforts.
During the review period, KATH successfully completed several key projects aimed at enhancing specialist clinical care. These included the comprehensive renovations of the Physiotherapy Centre and Laundry Unit, which cost over GHS 1.6 million and GHS 1 million, respectively.
Additionally, the hospital made significant progress on the renovation of its old Dialysis Centre and Main Theatre, as well as the establishment of a new 24-hour laboratory at the Family Medicine Block and an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Centre.
The state-of-the-art Cleft Centre, funded by Smile Train through the Ghana Cleft Foundation, is also nearing completion, representing a $2 million investment in advanced cleft care.
Prof. Addai-Mensah highlighted the upcoming $25 million Pharmacy Complex project, which is currently awaiting approval from the Central Tender Review Committee in Accra.
This complex is expected to serve as a one-stop center for specialist pharmaceutical services and training, fully funded by the hospital’s internally generated funds (IGF).
The CEO also noted the successful introduction of courier services for chronic but stable patients in partnership with Ghana Post, which has provided significant relief by delivering medications directly to patients’ homes.
Another major achievement was the revitalization of KATH’s Dialysis Centre, which expanded from fewer than two operational machines at the start of 2023 to seven by May 2024.
This expansion was supported by new machine acquisitions funded by the hospital’s IGF and donations from the Springfield Group, which also pledged to donate additional machines. The recent announcement of free dialysis packages by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has further increased the center’s capacity, quadrupling dialysis sessions from 80 per month to over 300.
Prof. Addai-Mensah also provided an update on the Asantehene’s KATH Renovation Project, which marks the first comprehensive modernization of the hospital’s old GEE blocks since their construction in 1954.
Led by the Asantehene, the project has already raised 40 percent of the $10 million needed, with renovation work on Wards “A3,” “A4,” and “A5” at “A” block nearing completion.
This project has received international recognition, winning the “Transformative Health Procurement Project of the Year” at the 6th Africa Procurement and Supply Chain Awards.
On the clinical front, KATH recorded positive developments in key service indicators, with specialist Outpatient Department (OPD) cases, laboratory, and radiology services exceeding their targets. However, inpatient admissions, surgeries, deliveries, and physiotherapy services fell short of their targets due to ongoing renovation projects.
Prof. Addai-Mensah concluded his address by encouraging the hospital’s leadership and staff to continue innovating and dedicating themselves to patient-centered care.
He expressed hope that the conference would provide an opportunity to assess performance and adopt strategies to further enhance the hospital’s services in the remaining months of the year.
The CEO extended his appreciation to the Asantehene, the hospital’s partners, and the public for their continued support, calling for further collaboration to restore KATH to its full potential as a leading tertiary healthcare provider in Ghana.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
