Korle Bu takes over refurbished facilities
Seven surgical theatre suites and the Babies Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) which were closed down for refurbishment were reopened yesterday.
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The refurbishment cost US$6.4 million and included recovery and changing rooms.
Old equipment such as the life support system, dedicated medical supply units, cots, and incubators have also been replaced with modern ones.
Five ambulances and five workshop vans have also been provided for the KBTH and three other hospitals as part of the retooling of public heath facilities throughout the country.
Deteriorated 90-year-old facilities
The Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, who inaugurated the facilities, explained that the hospital was 90 years old and its facilities had deteriorated, threatening its status as the nation’s premier teaching hospital.
She said the refurbishment would ensure quality healthcare delivery and a congenial environment for the provision of improved quality surgical care.
She impressed on the KBTH to institute an effective and efficient maintenance plan to ensure that the facilities did not break down prematurely.
Ms Ayittey explained that an equipment cost-recovery strategy, with some measures encapsulated in a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and the KBTH, was being introduced.
“This will serve as a means of ensuring the availability of resources for the sustainable and efficient use of equipment,” she added.
Increase in surgical operations
The Head of Surgical, Budget Management Centre at the KBTH, Professor Jonat Clegg-Lamptey, said waiting time for patients booked for surgery would now be reduced.
According to him, an equipment levy would be initiated to replace the equipment after the expiration of its economic lifespan.
The Head of Child Health, Budget Management Centre, Professor Bamela Goka, said the department needed more nurses to ensure better monitoring of babies under intensive care.
She, therefore, called on the Ministry of Heath to facilitate the recruitment of more nurses.