“44-year-old maternity, children’s block will be completed in 36 months’ – President Akufo-Addo 

President  Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday,  cut sod for the reactivation of work on the construction of a 44- year old Maternity and Children’s Block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

The project, which is being funded by a German Bank, Deutsche Bank, will cost €155 million. It is expected to be completed within 36 months.

The construction work is being done by a Brazilian construction company, Contracta.

According to the President, the block when completed would serve as a referral centre for the country.

“It will serve as a referral centre for twelve (12) of the sixteen (16) regions of our country. It will be a seven hundred and fifty (750)-bed building, with outpatient areas for adults and children. And it will have ten (10) operating theatres and diagnostic rooms, fully equipped with X-Ray, ultrasound, and mammography facilities,”

“It will house an intensive care unit, a high dependency unit, isolation rooms and student lecture halls, with the capacity to provide catering services for staff, patients and students,” he said.

The President reinforced the commitment of the government to providing access to healthcare to every Ghanaian, no matter where they are.

“That is the reason for embarking, this year, on the development of eighty-eight (88) district hospitals, ‘Agenda 88’, to ensure every district has a district hospital, and seven (7) regional hospitals for the seven regions that do not have one, all of which are to be done within a year,” he added.

COVID-19 fight
Touching on the fight against coronavirus, the President stressed that the rapid execution of policies, such as the ban on public gatherings, the closure of our schools and borders, had resulted in the country’s low COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and death rates, one of the lowest in Africa and the world.

“Do not forget to wash your hands regularly with soap under running water, use alcohol-based sanitizers, refrain from shaking hands, cover your mouths and noses when you cough or sneeze, wear your masks at all times in public, eat well from nutritious Ghanaian foods, and follow a good diet to boost your immune system,” he said.