A/R: Otumfuo Tours Key Health Facilities
The Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has embarked on a tour of key health infrastructures either completed and yet inoperative or under construction in the Ashanti Region.
The projects included the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Renovation, the Sawua Regional Hospital and the Manhyia Government Hospital Maternity Expansion Project and Emergency and Diagnostic Centre Projects.
The inspection on Thursday, February 29, 2024, was in the company of traditional authorities including Otumfuo Saamanhene Nana Osei Kwaku II, Otumfuo Hiahene Prof. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Kyeame Baffour Kantantankrakyi, Mamsehene Barima Osei Kwadwo II and others.
KATH
His Majesty set the ball rolling with a visit to KATH where he was received by the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah and other authorities.
His mission was to inspect the ongoing renovation project. Work was steadily in progress when the King got in there
Architect Kojo Darko Asante, who guided the King around the ongoing work on the fourth floor of Block A, informed him that the repair works on the entire roof were 100% complete. He also explained how the ceilings of the wards will be replaced, along with the tiled floor.
A video documentary of the finished roof re-made in white was shown and explained to the King.
From there, Otumfuo inspected one of the makeshift wards put in place to accommodate patients from the Blocks where the renovation had begun.
Speaking to the press after the tour, the Chairman of the Heal KATH Project, Sammy Adu Boakye said the hospital no longer floods from leakages of rainwater after downpours following the completion of the roofing repairs.
“It is no longer going to leak when it rains. The major problem of Komfo Anokye was that if it rained today for two weeks, some of the wards would be leaking. We are privileged to say that the last rains that we experienced, not one leakage was experienced.”
He updated, “We have just started the in-house. For the roof, we are 100% complete”
Sawua Hospital
The completed yet inoperative Sawua Regional Hospital was the next port of call for the King.
With the help of the Regional Health Director, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang and other engineers and architects, His Majesty was kept abreast with the condition of the Hospital.
Over there, Otumfuo made known intentions to have some patients from congested KATH referred to Sawua.
He was informed access to electricity was the primary cause of the inoperative state of the facility in the Bosomtwe District. He was told contractors after noticing a separate transformer was needed to supply the facility with electricity haven’t reported to the site in the last six months.
“If we access electricity today, we will test equipment in the facility,” one of the architects told Otumfuo.
A secondary obstacle to the operationalization of the 290-bed facility is the unmotorable road to the hospital.
It will be recalled that the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon Simon Osei Mensah, while addressing the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, explained that a 20KV substation is under construction to supply electricity to Sawua Hospital. He said the decision was taken after experts detected machinery of the hospital could not be supported by the community’s transformer.
Otumfuo also toured the Orthopedic ward, injection room, general surgery rooms and the Infectious Disease Centre of the facility.
“Everything needed to make the facility operational is ready,” His Majesty was informed.
On the state of the hospital, Dr Tenkorang told opemsuo.com, “We have to talk to the government because I believe that it’s not something very difficult to do. For the electricity, for instance, we have brought in the transformer, we’ve connected the main power line to the site. All that is left is to get some few accessories to connect to the hospital.”
He added, “We also need to gravel the road and apply bitumen to the surface.”
Accompanying Otumfuo on the tour were Sawuahene Nana Kwaku Amankwaa Sarkodie II, Sawuahemaa Nana Akosua Brafi Afisaa II, CEO of KATH, Prof Otchere Addai Mensah and others.
Manhyia Hospital
The Manhyia Government Hospital was the last medical facility to receive the Occupant of the Golden Stool.
Alongside the Children’s Unit, Surgical Ward, the Maternity ward annex and the main Maternity Ward, Otumfuo inspected the almost-completed expansion project of the Maternity Ward funded by the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation (OOTIIF) and the abandoned Emergency Unit and Diagnosis Centre.
The two projects are at the foundation stages.
His Majesty was taken around the facility by the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Kwaku Kamaldeen Hussein along with the Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang.
In an under-tone conversation at the end of the inspection with the two medical authorities, His Majesty was heard asking about the Afari Hospital which the Regional Minister in November said had stalled due to lack of funds.
Dr Hussein in an exclusive interview with opemsuo.com detailed his conversation with the King after the inspection.
“I mentioned to the King our challenges. Key of our challenges has to do with congestion in the facility. Congestion in the Maternity Ward, congestion in the Mother-Baby Unit (MBU) and the {stalled} Diagnosis and Emergency Centre”
“We don’t have the Diagnosis Centre, we are only managing a few rooms to do our diagnosis test. The emergency unit we have is not up to standard so we are appealing to King to help us get our Emergency Unit, Diagnosis Centre, Admission Block and then continue the Maternity unit.”
With the Maternity expansion, he said it is almost done and a handing-over ceremony is slated for next week.
“It’s almost done. We are going to hand it over next week. They are doing painting.”
Dr Tenkorang in a separate interview with opemsuo.com disclosed the king had asked him to put all the inspected projects on paper for his subsequent follow-up with the government.
