The awardees included heads of directorates and units, as well as external philanthropists who have contributed positively to the growth of the hospital over the years.

The awardees are individuals and organizations who donated medical equipment to departments of the hospital, paid medical bills of the vulnerable, and staff members who lobbied for support from external sources to resource their units to make healthcare delivery easier.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of the hospital, Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso, the awards are purely based on the track record of the individuals and organizations in advocacy, fund-raising and resource mobilization activities that have resulted in an improvement in the healthcare delivery.

“The 20 or so awardees for this maiden edition of the awards were carefully selected on the basis of their contribution to the development of the hospital either through advocacy, lobbying, sponsorship and donations which have helped to enhance the operations of the hospital”, he said.

Dr. Owusu-Danso urged the central management and the heads of directorates and units to think out of the box and adopt forward looking strategies to address some of the challenges bedeviling the operations of the hospital.

Board Chairman’s remarks

Board Chairman of the hospital, Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng, indicated that a lot needs to be done to improve the capacity of the hospital to deliver quality clinical care.

He said it has become necessary for the Board to seek partnership with individuals and organizations to address the challenges facing the hospital since Government’s ability to support the retooling and refurbishment needs of the facility has been severely constrained by other demands.

Nana Apenteng called for more support in addressing challenges facing the hospital.

All awardees were presented with certificates of appreciation.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post KATH honors staff, philanthropists at maiden board awards appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Committee will pursue the implementation of recommendations contained in internal and external audit reports.

As part of its advisory roles, the Committee is expected to ensure effective risk management practice in the hospital to check financial loopholes.

It will work closely with the internal auditor to ensure there is effective risk management in the day-to-day activities of the hospital.

The Committee will also facilitate, support, persuade and advice Management to ensure that transactions, actions and activities are carried out in accordance with the relevant laws especially the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act,  Public Procurement Act, the Financial Administration Regulations(FAR), the hospital’s regulations and the relevant policies and guidelines.

The Committee, which is chaired by a representative from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG), Robert Donaldy, has representatives from the Internal Audit Agency, Stephen D. Kwakye and Isaac M. Oduro as members.

Other members of the committee are Dr K. Osei-Afoakwa and Charles Dontoh who are both representatives from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital’s Board.

Speaking to Citi News after the inauguration, Head of Audit at the Inter Audit Agency (IAA), Nathan Yankey said the responsibilities of Audit Committees add to the effectiveness of public accountability, transparency, operational and financial performance, safeguarding and efficient use of public assets and purse.

He indicated that the formation, reporting and responsibilities of Audit Committees are patent in the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), 2016 (Act 921) and very important in the Public Financial Management system.

Mr Yankey further said the IAA expects the Committee to advice and persuade management to see to it that the hospital’s operations ensure the safety, security and management of the hospital’s information system, assets and effective implementation of policies.

“The committee has to support the internal audit so that they can generate reports that meet international best practices. So all these things are going to help so that at the end of the day, you can prevent fraud, you will reduce corruption, financial malfeasance and all those things that drain the purse of the country will be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said

He added that a team from the IAA will be visiting various institutions to review their Audit reports.

Chairman of the Audit Committee, Robert Donaldy pledged the committee’s readiness to deliver on its mandate.

Board Chairman of the hospital, Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng said the board will do its best to support the committee to achieve its objectives.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Internal Audit Agency inaugurates audit committee for KATH appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said the project should no longer be delayed and that everything should be done to complete it.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said this in a speech read for him at the inauguration of a US$10 million state-of-the-art Maternal and Babies Unit (MBU) complex built for the referral hospital.

The world-class facility comes with a maternity, neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit, nine birthing beds, three operating theaters and 130 baby cots.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QoO39TsNV0mbGEPNxCcfdijIiJZ2clPM”]Added to these are 15 incubators, two infant ventilators, 11 pediatric beds, filtered fresh air and independent post-delivery and post-operatory.

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of the project.

She led the effort following a documentary by the Multimedia Group, putting the spotlight on avoidable deaths of mothers and their babies at the referral facility caused by combined factors of congestion and limited equipment.

The documentary stirred the emotion and conscience of the nation.

The project, completed in a record time of five months, has been designated by the World Bank as a “green building” due to the quality, sustainable materials and building techniques used.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu expressed concern that KATH, the nation’s second largest referral facility, providing care for patients not only the Northern sector of the country but other neighboring countries had not seen any major expansion since its establishment in 1955.

The net result has been severe congestion, something unhelpful to quality health care delivery.

The Asantehene commended the First Lady for the leadership she provided and also said thank you to all other individuals and corporate Ghana for the facility.

Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, underscored the need for a strict maintenance regime to keep the place and equipment in good condition at all times.

Dr. Oheneba Owusu Danso, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said they were grateful to Mrs. Akufo-Addo and Multimedia Group for the project, adding that, it had come to ease pressure at the MBU.

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Source: GNA

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Christened the “Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II Center”, the unit will serve mothers who visit the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the Ashanti Regional capital for delivery and other neonatal services.

The unit was named after the late Asantehenemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem [Queen mother ] II.

The Chief Executive Officer of the KATH, Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso, said the new facility will help reduce incidents of preventable maternal mortality in the country.

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo in her address, said she had received “fulfillment as a woman” having seen the Mother and Baby Unit fully completed and ready for use.

She lamented that, “too often, we get excited about new things but all too often we neglect to keep it looking new. Today, we feel proud of what we see, but are we going to be proud or happy in the next 10 and 20 years time? Will the children who are born in this facility today come back to have their babies in a well functioning, well maintained facility?”

She therefore called on authorities of KATH and all others who will use the facility to ensure that it is properly maintained.

She added that the Rebecca Foundation “Will provide the hospital with every support to ensure we maintain this facility.”

The event was graced by the wife of the Asante King, Lady Julia, the Bantamahene Nana Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency Daniel Okyem Aboagye and other Members of Parliament.

The ultra-modern Unit project jointly undertaken by the First Lady’s Foundation and Multimedia Group, has a Paediatric and Intensive Care Unit, three surgical theatres, 20 new incubators, 130 delivery beds and 30 cots.

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By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissions new Baby Unit at KATH [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

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.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qBkKwMiiyrpw6oq14Pzq4XXOeLhppKLT”]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.

More urgency needed to end maternal mortality

Mrs. Akufo-Addo had earlier bemoaned the continuous death of women and children during childbirth worldwide, especially Ghana.

The First Lady, while speaking at a Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), described the situation as not only worrying but unacceptable.

“Ghana could not achieve its millennium development goal target of 185 per 100,000 live births; we achieved 319 per 100,000 live births at the end of 2015. Given that the new sustainable development goal target is to achieve 70 per 100,000 live births by the end of 2030, we need to work with urgency,” she added.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post First Lady to commission new Maternity Unit at KATH today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

These included blood pressure (BP) monitors, digital weighing scales, pulse oximeters and infant BP cuffs.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YOQSfSKoxtUY1B7lwuPY9gdD9Tz90liM”]The items were donated by the Asanteman Association of the United Kingdom (UK).

Odeneho Agyeman, Chairman of the Association, said it was their contribution towards helping to improve health care delivery at the hospital.

They had over the years supplied medical equipment and consumables to the facility, and he pledged that this would continue.

Mrs. Patience Yeboah Ampong, Director of Nursing Services, thanked the Association for its tremendous support for the hospital.

She called on other organizations and individuals to assist the facility.

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Source: GNA

The post Asanteman Association donates medical items to KATH appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This according to Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, is expected to save the facility an average of Ghc 12,000 daily bill it is accumulating due to reliance on private sources for the supply of oxygen.

Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso disclosed this at the hospital’s Annual Thanksgiving and joint staff reception in Kumasi.

[contextly_sidebar id=”0MMmJkZlWumbjBn568vZbOykBrbj2vLX”]He has also announced that the new Board of the hospital has given approval for the establishment of an Endowment Fund as a long-term strategy to address the logistical and infrastructure challenges of the hospital.

The Fund, which will be launched within the first quarter of 2018, will approach public spirited individuals and organizations to assist in the acquisition of critically needed equipment valued at over Sixty (60) Million Ghana Cedis to enable the hospital provide better services to the public.

Dr. Owusu-Danso said the hospital will in the course of 2018 offer special private patient’s services under which busy corporate executives, businessmen and individuals can assess prompt, comprehensive and quality medical at their convenience for premium fees under an Intramural Policy.

The acting CEO also charged staff members to continue to work hard to project the hospital’s positive image in the health sector of the country.

“It is only hard work, smart management practices, unity of purpose and personal sacrifices by all Staff Members that would help the hospital to effectively confront the challenges ahead, and deliver to the expectation of our clients”.

He has emphasized the need to completely review the mood of operations with the view of reducing waste and devising more efficient ways of delivering services in order to generate the needed funds to cover the hospital’s operational expenses.

He thanked the First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, her foundation and individuals who have contributed towards the construction of the new Mother Baby Unit and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for the hospital.

He also assured that Management was committed to running an open and inclusive administration to further improve the image of the hospital as a model tertiary healthcare institution in West Africa.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmoline.com/Ghana

The post KATH to get new Oxygen plant soon appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Hospital Administration and Management Software (HAMS), he said, could begin operating before the close of the year.

He was speaking at a mid-year performance review meeting of the referral facility in Kumasi.

[contextly_sidebar id=”acme20q5rHGUte1Q2OEiazbvezD08C9X”]Dr. Owusu-Danso said it was time the management and staff worked with passion to convince patients to choose the facility as a first option but not a last resort for their medical needs.

He added that they had no choice but to up their game – improve the quality of services.

He reminded them that the hospital’s ability to survive and deliver on its mandate would to a large extent depend on how well they treated and cared for the patients.

Dr. Owusu-Danso underlined the determination of the management and the board to take steps to address some of the challenges facing the facility.

There would be training and re-training of the staff, improvement of the procurement system to achieve greater value for investments, introduction of performance-based reward schemes to increase productivity and staff motivation.

He also spoke of expenditure control and revenue enhancement strategies to improve the finances of the hospital.

He said special clinics, under an intramural scheme, would be set up to provide specialist healthcare to private and corporate patients, who would want to seek care at their convenience.

Dr. Owusu-Danso said they would continue to lobby and seek support for the acquisition of a new oxygen plant and the completion of the 42-year-old maternal and children’s block.

He indicated that a careful look at the mid-year performance of some directorates and units showed decreases in attendance and that affected revenue.

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Source: GNA

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KATH suspended emergency admissions following an acute shortage of doctors at the facility.

[contextly_sidebar id=”T0NvPXTeFgOcxTJEmZJacDCyOg003PCk”]This was captured in an internal memo issued by the directorate of surgery to the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital.

The memo stated that, management of the facility took the decision following an emergency meeting convened to review the impact of the shortage on their delivery.

Mr. Yankah, on Eyewitness News explained that, KATH’s decision would have far reaching implications, given its status as a “tertiary hospital.”

“This is going to be a big blow to healthcare delivery because Komfo Anokye is not just an ordinary hospital. It is a tertiary hospital. In fact it is linked to Korle Bu in terms of size. Now with its strategic location , in terms of being in the Central part of Ghana makes it such that we have patients moving from , North, South and West all heading towards Komfo Anokye and even sometimes from outside the borders of Kumasi or Ghana.

“The kind of special care that happens in Kumasi, no facility within the Ashanti Region will have the human resource and the equipment for these kinds of specialized care.”

Dr. Yankah expressed disappointment over the development, arguing that though there has been several meetings with key stakeholders to address the challenges facing health workers, no decision had been taken to permanently address these concerns.

“It is unfortunate we find ourselves in this situation. It should not have been there in the first place. That is the view of the Association. We have engaged the powers that be. That is the Ministry of Health, the Management of Komfo Anokye and the Ministry of Finance as well to bring an end to this situation.”

Aside the suspension of emergency care services at the hospital, Citi News has also found out that approximately 150 house officers [new doctors], who completed their rotation at the hospital have left leading to some challenges.

Sources say newly qualified doctors who are expected to replace them have still not received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to start working.

The absence of these junior doctors who form the backbone of the health-care delivery system at the Teaching Hospital, is said to be putting a huge strain on the few senior colleagues around.

Mr. Yankah asked the Finance and Health Ministries to “act quickly to ensure that if possible, financial clearance will be given for  doctors who are also idling at home to go and practice their profession and keep the system moving.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post KATH’s suspension of new admissions will have dire consequences – GMA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This was captured in an internal memo issued by the directorate of surgery to the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital and sighted by citifmonline.com.

The memo stated that, management of the facility arrived at the decision following an emergency meeting convened to review the impact of the shortage on their delivery.

An emergency meeting held on 12^th September 2017, all residents in the directorate have resolved with immediate effect the following:

To suspend new emergency admissions from 12noon today [Tuesday] from all admission portals.

To continue quality inpatient care for the over 250 patients currently on admission.

According to the surgery directorate, the “action has been necessary because of the acute shortage of doctors in the directorate.”

“Considering our current staff strength, we are of the opinion that further admissions will endanger the lives of patients and impede the provision of quality care. We would like to put on record that this problem was anticipated by all residents in the hospital and management was notified in writing two weeks ago. Unfortunately, management is yet to communicate a response. This problem has been recurring for the past 7 years and we hope an appropriate action is taken to resolve this issue permanently,” the surgery directorate added.

Meanwhile, citifmonline.com understands that approximately 150 house officers [new doctors] who completed their rotation at the hospital have left leading to the current problems.

Sources say newly qualified doctors who are expected to replace them have still not received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to start working.

The absence of these junior doctors who form the backbone of the health care delivery system at the teaching hospital is said to be putting a huge strain on the few senior colleagues around.

Some departments and directorates are also said to have been forced to reduce their services since they don’t have the capacity to sustain full scale work without the junior house officers.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post KATH suspends new admissions over shortage of doctors appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.