Heal KATH: Second-hand Cloth Dealers Donate ₵40K
Second-hand cloth dealers in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region have joined the mission to give a facelift to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) which is being spearheaded by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The traders from Ashtown and Kejetia made a contribution of ¢40,000 as their initial seed to the project on March 31, 2024, during the Akwasidae festival at the Manhyia Palace.
The amount was presented to Otumfuo Hiahene, Nana Prof. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei Woahene II before the King at the Palace.
Receiving the amount, Nana Woahene II expressed gratitude to the traders for contributing despite the economic difficulties impacting their businesses and urged them to donate more.
“On behalf of Otumfuo and the HEAL KATH Committee, I thank you. We know the difficult times we are in and so we appreciate your efforts. It will go a long way to help in the project. We also hope it won’t end here.”
About Heal KATH
The project dubbed Heal KATH is aimed at mobilising US$10 million to address the urgent need for infrastructural improvements in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana’s second-largest teaching hospital, which receives referrals from 12 out of the 16 regions of Ghana, through the solicitation of funds.
Hailing Otumfuo for spearheading the project during its launch on November 10, 2023, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah, said the renovation had been on the drawing board of the hospital Board for the past 50 years but had to be shelved due to lack of funds.
He highlighted that persistent over-utilisation and consequent wear and tear over the years have made the structure unfit for the provision of contemporary healthcare services.
“Plumbing, electrical wires, windows, roofing, washrooms and all ancillary facilities have for years now deteriorated beyond maintenance,” he listed as he explained the structure has never tasted renovation since its existence.
Speaking at the event, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II characterized the current state of the hospital as embarrassing and stressed the urgent need to raise funds to attend to the building which is close to 70 years old.
“12 of 16 regions have their patients referred here. Patients get drenched when it rains and the exposed wires can cause fire outbreaks when rainwater comes into contact with the wires. Even the new Emergency Ward is in dire need of renovation. We will be brought to this hospital when the need arises and so there is a need to work it out.”
According to him, the project cannot wait for any government since many governments reigned and ended their tenure without any particular attention to the hospital.
“Governments come and go but the building remains and it is up to us to renovate it. It shouldn’t therefore be politicised….Though the amount is huge, if each household on this land decided to contribute each month, we would go a long way to heal the hospital.”
