100 years old Korle-Bu Hospital appeals for help
By Christabel Oboshie ANNAN & Zeenatu ABUBAKAR, Accra
The Board Chairman of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr David Nkansa Dwamena, has called on corporate organisations and individuals to complement the efforts of government at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to address the challenges affecting the hospital.
He stated that even though a number of corporate institutions have already adopted and are sustaining a number of the hospital’s wards, the hospital still needs the help of other corporate organisations to help it address some of the current challenges.
He said this at the launch of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s centenary Anniversary, held in Accra.
Dr Dwamena noted that, as part of the year long anniversary celebration, the board is going to launch an ‘Adopt a Ward Initiative’ for philanthropic corporate bodies and individuals to support the hospital by adopting and maintaining some of the facilities in the Hospital.
“I therefore wish to invite Corporate Ghana and individual philanthropists to join us by putting your shoulders to the wheel to place Korle Bu to a higher pedestal,” he stressed.
He indicated that the board is dedicated and committed to expanding the services that are being provided at the hospital.
This he said has already begun with the introduction of kidney transplant services by the local team of surgeons, nephrologists and other professionals.
“In this respect, the board is supporting Management to secure the necessary legislative framework to formalise transplantation services in the country,” he explained.
The Board Chairman added that the board will also support the introduction of other services and procedures through further training of staff to obviate the need for Ghanaians to travel to other countries for medical care.
He further called on Parliament and other agencies to speed up the request for the passage of the law on tissue donation, harvesting and storage of various organs to save the lives of thousands of Ghanaians who are sick and in need of help.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KBTH, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, said that as the hospital celebrates its 100 years, it’s time to reflect on the years and come together as a nation to position Korle-Bu to deliver on its mandates.
He also rehashed calls for corporate bodies to partner the hospital to help it succeed in delivering an excellent service to patients.
He noted that as part of the celebrations, the hospital is looking at revamping aging infrastructure because they believe that patients deserve to be given an excellent atmosphere that will support their recovery.
The CEO added that the hospital looks to employ digitisation in making procedures efficient at the hospital.
“We are also looking at capacity building. That is training sub-speciality health workers in order to provide them with a full spectrum of health delivery services so that no one will have to leave Ghana because a certain service is not available” he stressed.
The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, in a speech read on his behalf, tasked the Board and Management to fashion out strategies to tap into the potential of making Korle Bu the true hub of medical tourism.
She also urged corporate bodies and well meaning Ghanaians to support the ‘Adopt a Ward Initiative’ so as to make Korle Bu greater.
