The First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on today [Friday] January 19, 2018 commissioned the new Maternity Unit as well as a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) for the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region
The building, which cost some GHc10 million generated from public fundraising and donations, is expected to help reduce congestion and current deaths reported daily at the facility.
Available records show that a newborn baby dies every fifteen minutes with four babies dying every hour at the country’s biggest referral hospital for people in the northern part of the country.
But the new unit, which has over 15 incubators and 3 emergency wards, will allow KATH take in four times the current number of infants and mothers and reduce avoidable deaths by 60-80%.
Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo who cut the sod for the construction of facility in May 2017 has been raising funds towards the project together The Multimedia Group Limited.
The project now houses the Maternity, Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care units at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo was speaking at the commissioning of the new MBU block at the KATH on Friday January 19, 2018 in Kumasi.
The MBU has three surgical theatres, 20 new incubators, about 130 delivery beds and 12 mothers can go through delivery at the same time.
The facility which meets international standards of healthcare delivery, is also expected to reduce maternal mortality rate in the region and beyond by 60%.
Mothers have been provided with recliner seats to make breastfeeding comfortable and healthy.
The First Lady said the commissioning of the MBU makes her fulfilled as woman.
She said, “By coming together as people, we can achieve a lot for the development of the country. We are better together and we’re capable of solving our challenges as a united people.”
According to her, the story of MBU proves, “It is so possible. We are capable of developing our own country.”
Mrs. Rebbeca reemphasised she would be working with people to lead the dream of building a better Ghana as “People united with common purpose, common goal is all that we need” as a country.
She called for maintenance culture and advised that the excitement should not overshadow the fact that, the facility needs to be properly maintained.
Mr. Rebbaca thanked all Ghanaians for their contributions to the construction of the facility and pledged government’s support toward the maintenance of the unit.
Heath Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu also expressed excitement about the project saying, “We are so happy this major project has been completed”.
He lauded the Rebecca foundation and its partners for the initiative.
The Minister said the facility is the first major project under the foundation that would change lives and transform the healthcare delivery in Asanteman and beyond.
Source: otecfmghana.com
