Kumasi, Aug. 27. GNA – The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the second-largest health referral facility in the country, has collaborated with the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives to introduce a Specialized Orthopaedic Training Programme.
The Programme, the first of its kind in the West African sub-Region, is part of the human resource transformational agenda of the Hospital.
It is expected to produce a cadre of Orthopaedic Nurses capable of providing specialist orthopaedic nursing care to road traffic accident victims.
Dr, Oheneba Owusu-Danso, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, made this known at the Hospital’s 2021 mid-year performance review conference, held in Kumasi.
It was aimed at giving accounts of operations of the Hospital for the first half of the year.
Dr. Owusu-Danso said with KATH selection as the centre for the training was going to be a timely game-changer in the management of accident cases, especially in the light of the recent alarming increase in road accidents in the country.
“It will help reduce morbidity and mortality in accident victims,” he observed.
The CEO hinted that with the support of the Korean Foundation for International Health (KOFIH), a Laparoscopic Surgery Centre would soon be established at the Hospital.
In his explanation, the facility, when established, would provide invasive surgical services and training for the northern sector of the country.
He said even though the facility continued to grapple with challenges, including congestions at the Accident and Emergency Centre, ageing infrastructure, equipment and high cost of operations, it had recorded significant increases in most clinical activities.
Dr. Owusu-Danso pointed out that Out-Patient- Department (OPD) attendances recorded in the first half of 2021 stood at 114,783 cases as against 90,340 for the same period in 2020.
This, he said, represented an increase of 27.06 per cent.
Emergency admissions recorded was 9, 324 as against 8, 147cases for the same period last year, translating into an increase of 14.45 per cent, according to the CEO.
In-patient admissions recorded in the first half of the year was 15, 078 as against the 15, 016 cases registered for the same period in 2020, an indication of a marginal increase of 0.41 per cent.
Additionally, the Family Medicine Directorate’s OPD family care attendances were 27, 142 cases in the first half of last year as against 22,208 in the same period in 2020, which translates into 22. 22 per cent increase.
The CEO cited physiotherapy, radiotherapy and radiology, which saw recorded increases in their numbers per the Hospital’s statistics.
Dr. Owusu-Danso said through its internally-generated funds (IGF), the Hospital was able to procure a Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter for its Nephrology Unit at the cost of 13,279 US Dollars, an Echo Cardiology Machine at the cost of GH¢269,840, a 40 pulse Oximeter, as well as an IVF equipment at the cost of GH¢235.061 for the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments.
He said renovation works on the Hospital’s Dialysis Centre had also commenced at a contract sum of GH¢316,685.
Additionally, the Hospital’s A1 Theatre Centre was also being renovated and retooled to provide expanded space for the Paediatric Surgery Unit.
The demolition of the old structure intended maternity block, he stated, was on-going, and that the first phase of its reconstruction was also in progress at the cost of 138.5 million Euros.
He indicated that the Delta variant of the COVID-19 had proven to be more lethal to people of all ages than the Alpha and Beta variants witnessed in the earlier two waves of the disease.
He called on the public to as such strictly observe all the safety protocols since these measures had proven to be effective in controlling the spread of the pandemic.
Dr. Owusu-Danso entreated the health workers to work harder so that the remaining months would be more productive for them to provide quality healthcare services to the public.
GNA