Otumfuo commends KATH new CEO for changing the face of the hospital

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reiterated his endorsement of the release of the military land adjoining the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to facilitate the facility’s expansion projects.

Otumfuo said the sole tertiary hospital in this part of the country, KATH plays a strategic role in the nation’s healthcare delivery system and deserved to be given all the necessary support to further develop to enable it fully discharge it’s care delivery mandate.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said this while addressing a delegation of the hospital’s Board led by its chairman, Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng, who doubles as the Omanhene of Bompata traditional Council and Board Chairman of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who had paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace to introduce the hospital’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to him.

The new CEO, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, a former Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences of the College of Health Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), assumed office on 1st December, 2022.

The Asantehene said he had received a report of the committee he set up on the release of the Military land adjoining the hospital and he was of the view that the cost of relocating the remnants of the facilities on it to the current Military base at Nyankerenyiase should not be borne by the hospital.

“I have already initiated discussion with the President and other stakeholders on the need for the government to find the requisite funding to cover the complete relocation of the Military to their Nyankyereniase base so that the land can be released to KATH as soon as possible for its expansion projects”, the Asantehene stated.

The Asantehene urged management of the hospital to explore ways of further improving the stock of equipment at the facility so that it could provide the full range of specialist clinical services to the public given that it is a centre of last hope to the people in its large catchment area.

“I am prepared to lobby for the hospital in this direction as and when a list of critically needed equipment required by the hospital for the delivery of comprehensive specialist care will be made available to me”, the Asantehene assured.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II described as heartwarming and positive the feedback he has so far received on the performance of the new CEO and urged him to continue the good works he has started.

Professor Addai-Mensah expressed his gratitude to the Asantehene for his support and wise counsel since his assumption of duty.

He said with the support of the board and management, he has initiated a number of measures to improve discipline among staff, quality of specialist clinical care provided to patients and the state of facilities at the hospital.

“Measures such as the institution of Directors’ weekend and holiday duty roster to ensure executive presence and supervision at all times, enforcement of timely commencement of clinical services at the consulting rooms and commencement of payment of hospital bills through momo and POS by patients for the first time in its history, have all helped to improve patient care at the hospital.

Prof. Addai-Mensah also disclosed that he has successfully lobbied some friends and companies to assist the hospital to give a number of facilities such as the Doctors’ Flats, Laundry Unit and the Ear, Nose and Throat blocks that were in bad state, a major facelift as part of an ongoing beautification exercise.

“I have also set up a technical team of engineers and other professionals to prepare a master plan for the comprehensive renovation of the old “GEE” blocks for the first time since their construction in 1955 as part of the Asantehene’s 25th anniversary legacy project which fall next year”, he added.

Prof. Addai-Mensah appealed to the Asantehene to use his influence to get some stalled projects at the hospital including the Maternity and Children’s block being executed by the government, and the Sickle Cell and Blood Centre block being funded by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, restarted.

Other members of the KATH Board that were members of the delegation were Lawyer Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, Pharm. Charles Dontoh and Prof. Daniel Ansong, Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry of KNUST.