Akufo-Addo cuts sod for 400-bed maternity block at Korle Bu

 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, cut the sod for the construction and equipping of two medical blocks at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. 

They are a 12- storey 400-bed Maternity and Gynecological Centre and a two-storey 101- bed Urology and Nephrology Centre at the country’s major referral hospital.

The sod-cutting followed a promise the President made on December 6, 2018, when he visited the hospital for the commissioning of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre.

The President was struck by the poor state of the maternity block and pledged to work on it.

“I promised to remedy the situation, as the current state of the building is not fit for purpose. Today’s ceremony is a fulfilment of the pledge I made,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that the commencement of work on the two projects, in addition to the re-activation of construction work on the abandoned seven hundred and fifty (750) bed Maternity and Children’s Block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, would significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country.

That, he explained, was further testimony to the commitment of the government to improve Ghana’s country’s healthcare infrastructure, and move the country steadily towards the goal of achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage for all.

Once completed, the 400-bed Maternity Block facility, President Akufo-Addo, said, “will contribute to addressing the persistent challenges of high maternal and child health morbidity and mortality in Ghana.

“It will also accelerate our progress towards the achievement of the SDGs through enhanced access to quality maternal and child health services,” he said.

In that regard, the government has secured €145,220,000) from Standard Chartered Bank to cover the cost of the project, with an export credit guarantee from Swedish Export Credit towards the reconstruction of the maternity block.

Additionally, the Project has an insurance cover of €18,973,024.85 and it is to be constructed through a joint venture entity known as HEDEBI JV. The partners of this group are Rizzani DE ECCHER, Bergam, and Hospital Engineering Ltd.

Once completed, the 12-storey maternity block will have 400-bed capacity;20 labour delivery rooms; 100-seater waiting area; 26 recovery wards; 18 treatment rooms; 24 consulting rooms; seven theatres; IVF services; 10 room accommodation for new mothers; 32- seater restaurant, with a preparation area; and an emergency unit with its own triage and operating theatre.

Urology and Nephrology Centre

The €38-million Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence is being funded by Raiffeisen Bank International AG Ltd of Austria, with OeKB Group, also from Austria, providing insurance cover of €4,666,950.

Once completed, it will offer advanced treatment for persons with genito-urinary conditions, chronic and acute kidney failures, as well as nephrology services such as kidney transplants.

“The two (2) storey Urology and Nephrology Centre will have a thirty-one (31) suite dialysis station for persons with kidney disorders, and seventy (70) beds for genito-urinary patients. The Centre will also provide out-patient services, and serve as a resource base to conduct research into urology and nephrology cases,” the President said.

The President was confident that the construction of these facilities at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital would put Korle Bu “in a strong position to give meaning to medical tourism services to neighbouring countries, thereby increasing its revenue base to expand services”.