Friday, August 6, 2010

NEW EYE CENTRE FOR KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 18, AUGUST 2010)

Authorities at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have signed a contract for the construction of a $1 million Eye Centre to address the eye problems of patients from the northern sector of the country .
The Eye Centre, according to the authorities, would also “serve as a centre for the training of eye specialists for the West African sub-region”.
The Chief Executive of KATH, Professor Ohene Adjei, who announced this during the hospitals’ three-day mid-year performance review workshop in Kumasi, gave the assurance that “a formal sod-cutting ceremony will be held in the next couple of weeks to mark the commencement of construction work”.
He explained that tendering for the project, which is a collaboration among KATH, the Himalayan Eye Project and the USAID, had already been completed.
The mid-year performance review workshop offers a platform for the various directors and departmental heads at the hospital to critically analyse their operational targets for the half-year, assess their performance, shortfalls, challenges and the way forward.
Prof. Adjei also announced that as part of its effort to deliver quality services and address the health needs of its numerous clients, the hospital had renovated the consulting rooms and the Psychiatry Block.
He said the projects, which were estimated at GH¢191,000, were impacting positively on its operations, stressing that “the renovation has helped to create a conducive working environment for improved psychiatric services to the public”.
He said as part of the measures to reduce power outages and enhance quality service delivery at the Accident and Emergency Centre, the hospital had acquired a 2.2 MVA standby power plant for the centre at a cost of GH¢123,000.
He expressed concern over the erratic water supply to the hospital and the problems it was creating, especially the disruption of services.
Prof Adjei said to address the problem, the hospital intended to expand its water reservoir from 50,000 gallons to 200,000 gallons.
He said it would also repair its two boreholes and drill two more to improve water supply to all parts of the hospital.
He said the hospital, in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, had initiated a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Nursing programme, saying it would start in August to offer opportunity for nurses to build their capacity adequately.
He said the Nursing Department of the hospital would also start an emergency nursing programme at the Accident and Emergency Centre to enhance the professional acumen of nurses.
On the clinical front, he announced that as many as 76,497 patients attended the hospital at its outpatients department between January and June this year, as against 55,000 last year.
He said 13,922 surgeries were also performed during the same period, as against 12,625 last year, stressing that physiotherapy services also increased from 8,000 last year to 10,688.
On the delivery of babies at the hospital, he said between January and June this year, as 7,187 babies were delivered, as against a projection of 6,775, while diagnostic services also registered 212,444 cases, compared to 177,098 during the same period last year
“The hospital, over the same period, recorded 18,000 emergency cases, as against 10,297 last year, while 23,000 patients were admitted at the wards, as against 20,000 for the first half of 2009,” he stated.
He commended the medical staff for their hard work and urged them to sustain it to enhance quality service delivery..
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr Kwaku Agyemang Mensah; a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mrs Joanna Appiah Dwomoh, and Mrs Hannah Quansah, graced the occasion.
Also present at the programme were the Medical Director of KATH, Dr Baffour Awuah; the Director of Nursing, Mrs Patience Yeboah Ampong; the Director of Pharmacy, Mrs Elizabeth Animah Appiah; the Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Health, Dr Kwasi Yeboah Ewudzi, and the Director of Administration of KATH, Mr Isaiah Offeh Gyimah.

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