President Akufo-Addo has expressed satisfaction with the progress of work ongoing on the reconstruction and modernisation of the Maternity and Children’s block of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
Inspecting the project as part of his four-day working visit to the Ashanti region, the President was informed that the project, thus far, has seen a 100% demolition of the old structure, with the current progress of work about 60 percent complete.
Once completed, 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.
The expanded works has also resulted in the ongoing reconstruction of the Station Basic School classroom block at the UDDARA Barracks, which is scheduled to be completed by January 2023.
On 15th May, 2020, the President cut the sod for the re-activation of work on the Maternity and Children’s ward at the teaching hospital after over four decades of neglect.
Komfo Anokye Hospital project
Prior to this, the Akufo-Addo government, represented by the Ministry of Health had on 6th November, 2019, employed Contracta Construction UK Limited for the design, execution and completion of works and the remedying of any defects, which included the re-modelling and completing of shell spaces for the existing building structure.
Subsequently, after the Contractor’s structural integrity report for the existing building structure, government decided to revise the scope of works in November 2020 to include a complete demolition of the old existing structure, and a re-design, construction and complete equipping of the new and modern mother and child health facility.
The revised contract also includes the provision of a 3-year maintenance program for medical equipment with training and technical assistance, procurement of medical and non–medical consumables, and the training of needed human resource, technical assistance and mentorship programs.
The new design has 8 floors, 22 consulting rooms, 3 group consulting rooms, 2 consulting rooms for adult emergencies, 2 consulting rooms for Paediatric Emergencies, 3 Auditorium (45 seats, 43 seats and 145 seats), 5 seminar rooms (14 seats) and 506 Beds with the capacity to hold, 199 paediatric cots, 136 Paediatric beds, 19 birthing beds and 152 Adult beds.
Additionally, the block will also have 1 Obstetrics Theater, 7 General theatre, Pharmacy, Dispensaries, Laboratories as well as Ancillary spaces.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has commissioned a residential complex for Court of Appeal Judges in the Ashanti Region, as well one hundred and twenty (120) courts and one hundred and fifty (150) bungalows each across the country.
According to President Akufo-Addo, in the course of his first term in office, government took note of the inadequate numbers of courts in various parts of the country, resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to courts.
“For example, there was no Court between Adjabeng and Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region, neither was there a Court between Adum in Kumasi and Asante Bekwai or Obuasi in the Ashanti Region. I was also informed that some judges lived in insecure housing, and were subject to abuse and threats after their judgements.”
President Akufo-Addo
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