The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, has held its 2024 End of Year Performance Review Conference under the theme: “70 Years of Impacting Lives Through Specialist Clinical Services, Training and Research: Celebrating the Past and Repositioning for the Future”.
The conference sought to enrich the evaluation of last year’s performance as well as guiding the hospital in charting the best possible path to improve service delivery this year. The conference was chaired by Prof. Akwasi Antwi-Kusi, Dean, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer, KATH acknowledged that the theme is a “profound and introspective” statement that encapsulates the essence of KATH’s “sterling legacy” as a tertiary facility and its vision for the future.
It serves as a “poignant reminder” of the hospital’s enduring commitment to transforming lives through the pursuit of excellence in medical care, training and research as it celebrates its 70th anniversary.
The CEO disclosed that last year, the hospital registered impressive improvements in most areas of its operations, infrastructure and equipment base, attributing it to the continuous heavy investment and other interventions pursued by management with the support of the Asantehene, the last Board and other partners.
He said the daily Out Patient Department (OPD) attendance at the hospital rose from 1,259 in 2023 to 1,302 last year with Emergency admissions also rising from 26,298 in 2023 to 27, 996 in 2024, a 6.6% increase, as well as a rise in Radiological services from 62,158 in 2023 to 71,527 in 2024, an increase of 15.15 percent, among others.
The hospital’s patients’ satisfaction rate, he noted, improved from 80.7% in 2022, to 85.2% in 2023 and recorded a further increase of 85.5% in 2024.
Prof. Addai-Mensah disclosed that several millions of cedis of Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and funding from other partners were invested in upgrading the infrastructure base of the hospital, with the most remarkable development in this area being the total transformation of the hospital’s Dialysis Unit from a two-machine centre to that of 20 machines. Also, Wards A 3, 4 & 5 had been transformed under the first phase of the Asantehene’s Heal Komfo Anokye Project (HeKAP).
He thanked all stakeholders for their diverse support, which helped the hospital to register very impressive results last year, adding that through collective efforts, “KATH can be the modern tertiary healthcare provider we all want.”
The Guest Speaker, Prof. Christian Agyare, Provost of College of Health Sciences (KNUST) disclosed that it is a great moment to reflect, contemplate and celebrate successes chalked over the years, and ponder over the task ahead, acknowledging the “colossal role” KATH had played in healthcare delivery in Ghana, and continued to make remarkable strides, albeit all the challenges.
Chronicling the journey of KATH, Prof. Agyare disclosed that the site of the hospital started off in the 1940s as two hospitals located on the hill overlooking Bantama Township. These hospitals, he added, were clearly marked as “African and European” hospitals.
He noted that over the decades, KATH expanded its infrastructure and services to meet changing health needs of the population, with the introduction of “specialist units and centres” of excellence such as the Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit; which is revolutionizing the management of cardiovascular and thoracic conditions, Oncology Department, Reproductive Health Services, Dialysis Centre, and Accident and Emergency Unit.
The Provost stressed that these achievements not only improved access to quality healthcare, but also reduced the need for patients to travel abroad for specialized treatments, adding that KATH has played a significant role in advancing medical research, often collaborating with local and international partners.
Prof. Agyare applauded the endeavours of the staff of KATH whose “unwavering commitment” to community engagement these seven decades has defined KATH’s legacy.
Prof. Christian Agyare also expressed his gratitude to the government, whose unwavering support has been instrumental in KATH’s journey as well as government’s consistent commitment over the years. He suggested the upgrade of all Regional Hospital and Teaching Hospitals, with the requisite human resource and facilities.
The Provost further expressed gratitude to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for his “memorable dedication” in making KATH attain its “enviable status”.
From Oswald Pius Freiku, Kumasi
