President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to construct a new maternity block for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, as part of the government’s efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure and provide safer conditions for mothers and newborns.
The new facility, he said, will replace the old Gordon-Guggisberg building, which he described as a “death trap” and unsuitable for providing maternal healthcare services, warning that its current state could have devastating consequences for patients and health workers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Thursday, July 9, President Mahama disclosed that government has commenced the procurement process for the construction of the new maternity block.
“We’re going through the procurement process to build a new maternity block for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. We will pull down the old Gordon-Guggisberg building that has today become a death trap,” he said.
According to him, improving healthcare delivery goes beyond financing diagnosis and treatment, but also requires the availability of safe and appropriate facilities.
“Every other day, our mothers give birth in that building. It is a death trap that can cause devastation,” he stated.
The President further disclosed that the mandate of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund has been expanded to cover not only the financing of diagnosis and treatment but also the provision of critical healthcare infrastructure and the availability of skilled personnel to support quality service delivery.
He explained that the decision follows concerns over the sustainability of investments in medical equipment, with some facilities experiencing breakdowns due to inadequate maintenance.
“We found out that most of that equipment was not properly maintained and had broken down, and the hospitals were calling on governments again to do another retooling or replace the equipment. It is not a sustainable model,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that government’s new approach is aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability in the health sector by protecting investments made in healthcare infrastructure, equipment and services.
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