Komfo
Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the nation’s second largest referral
facility, has expressed deep worry over rising utility bills, something
that is putting severe strain on its finances, leading to the hospital
begging for donations.
Things are not being helped by the current
energy crisis, a situation that has forced it to spend GH¢141,000 to
buy fuel to power its four stand-by generators.
Dr Joseph
Akpaloo, the chief executive, told an annual performance review meeting
that an average of GH¢299,000 was paid in electricity bills every month.
He
said this combined with chronic delay in insurance claim payments by
the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was presenting financial
difficulties.
Dr Akpaloo said in the light of this, the
management was now encouraging all the units and directorates to “make
conscious efforts to secure donations and partnerships from
philanthropists and corporate organisations to help improve on their
operations.”
Besides, it was exploring the possibility of
securing joint partnership arrangements under the government’s public
private partnership (PPP) policy for the development of critically
needed facilities.
He said notwithstanding the challenges, some
significant achievements were made in year 2014, citing the reduction in
maternal deaths to 108 from the previous year’s total of 126.
Dr
Akpaloo attributed the progress to the establishment of a six-bed mini
intensive care unit at the obstetrics and gynaecology directorate and
the attachment of specialists and consultants from the hospital to some
leading peripheral facilities in Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Eastern, Central
and the Western regions.
He said KATH would continue to encourage
timely reporting of pregnant women to the hospitals and prompt referral
of complicated cases to help bring down the high maternal mortality
rate.
Dr. Akpaloo again spoke of the procurement of essential and
vital resources for effective service delivery, completion of a police
post at the cost of GH¢28,494 to improve security of staff and property
and renovation of the Ear, Nose and Throat Directorate at GH¢107,410.
Under a build, operate and transfer (BOT) arrangement, contract had been
awarded for the construction of a 131-bed hostel to provide comfortable
and safe accommodation for visiting patients’ relatives and he gave the
contract sum as GH¢848,000.
Dr Ken Sagoe, the board chairman,
commended the management and staff for their hard work and dedication
amid challenging working conditions and pledged to help address the
challenges.
