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.

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.