The second phase of the Heal Komfo Anokye Project is making steady progress, following the successful renovation and handover of the A4 and A5 wards at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
The $10 million project, led by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, aims to fully restore the hospital to a modern and dignified state after many years of deterioration. The newly refurbished wards are now being used by inpatients, and the focus is shifting to raising funds for the next stage of the project.
KATH’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Kwame Frimpong, speaking on Joy FM’s midday news on Friday, April 18, shared more details about the plans.
He explained that the project includes a strong maintenance plan to keep the refurbished wards in good condition for the future.
“A key component of the project is also a maintenance fund. The initial 10 million dollars, the project managers decided that at least a tenth of that amount should be set aside for maintenance. So there is a very robust plan to ensure that the facilities that we have now been able to replace and thanks to the Asantehene the facilities are maintained, and we will do the best that we can to ensure that over time, it will not just deteriorate as it has happened to the 70-year-old block,” he said.
Mr Frimpong also gave a roadmap for the next steps in the renovation.
“All four old D blocks have not received any comprehensive renovation since their construction in 1955. So, the expectation is that if the A4, A5, and A3 are done, we will be moving to A2 and then A1. That would have completed the A block. Then we will move to the B block, the C block and the D block,” he explained.
The upgrades are not just about looks. “Just as it has happened in the areas that we have started, all the washrooms and the WCs [Water Closets], we are doubling or tripling the numbers. This facility was constructed 70 years ago. The number of patients then was not the huge numbers we see now, but the washrooms have remained the same. We are tripling, at least doubling them,” Mr Frimpong said.
Other improvements include new window systems with mosquito-proof nets, which the current design does not allow.
“We are changing all window systems at the wards so they will have mosquito-proof netting. The current system does not allow for mosquito-proof nets to be fixed because we have to open them out, so it is not compatible,” he said.
Mr Frimpong also revealed that the oxygen supply is being upgraded. “We are also laying new oxygen pipes in the wards to ensure that every bed will have access to an oxygen supply. The current wards do not have this advantage.”
He stressed that the work is more than renovation. “It is a comprehensive and total modernisation. We are also modernising the remaining wards that will be tackled in the course of the project,” he said.
Meanwhile, a fundraising and awards dinner, which was expected to support the next phase, has been postponed.
“The fundraising event regrettably has been postponed due to circumstances beyond the control of the organisers,” Mr Frimpong announced.
“We take this opportunity to apologise to all those who have indicated that they were coming, but because of this postponement, we would have to change their schedule. We are doing this in conjunction with the Manhyia Palace, and a new date will soon be communicated to the public.”