The proposed “Heal Komfo Anokye Project” will get a major boost as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has declared his intention to raise US$10 million towards the comprehensive renovation of the 70-year-old In-Patient Wards at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
The Asantehene announced this when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Prof. Otchere Addai- Mensah, led the executives and members of the “Heal Komfo Anokye Project” team to present the technical and financial proposal for the renovation of the dilapidated blocks at the health facility to the Ashanti King at Manhyia Palace on Thursday.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said the aging blocks, which house the main wards at the hospital, had not seen any renovation since1955, adversely affecting the quality of in-patient care, hence his decision to lead the drive for their refurbishment.
The team is a volunteer group, made up of an architect, a real estate developer, marketing, and brands communication specialists among other experts, who were commissioned by the KATH CEO to develop the master plan for the project.
The renovation of the blocks, popularly referred as “Blocks A, B, C and D”, is expected to be executed as part of the legacy projects marking the 25th Anniversary celebration of the enstoolment of the Asantehene next year.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II described KATH as a strategic institution, which occupies a unique position in the health care delivery system in the country, as well as the social, cultural and historical heritage of the Asante Kingdom.
“For a hospital that has been the sole provider of tertiary health care in this region and beyond for decades, and having been named after the founding Chief Priest of Asanteman, it will be unacceptable to allow it to fall into a state of disrepair, hence my readiness to lead the crusade for its restoration,” the King explained.
Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II mentioned plans to formally launch the fundraising campaign to ensure the mobilisation of the needed resources to renovate and modernise the old blocks, so that they could better serve patients from the region and the 11 others that the hospital receives referrals from.
He commended the CEO and members of the “Heal Komfo Anokye Project” team for their commitment to the project, and urged the public and corporate institutions to support the fundraising campaign when it is launched to ensure the successful execution of the project.
The Asantehene has, accordingly, appointed Nana Prof. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei Woahene II, Hiahene and founder of Foundation of Orthopaedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS), who also doubles as the Board Chairman of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation, as his representative on the project team.
Prof. Addai-Mensah, who was shocked on assumption of office by the extent of deterioration of the blocks over the 70 years from intensive use, expressed delight at Otumfuo’s readiness to support plans to give the hospital the desired facelift, stressing that the Board, management, staff and patients of the hospital owed the Asantehene a great debt of gratitude for his timely intervention.
Mr. Samuel Adu-Boakye, Chairman of the “Heal Komfo Anokye Project” team, was grateful to the Asantehene for his commitment to the execution of the project. He added that the team had developed a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy to facilitate the raising of the needed funds from well-meaning members of the public and corporate Ghana.
“If we can get just one million Ghanaians to donate $10 each, $10 million can be raised in no time to ensure the timely execution of this project for the benefit of the entire people of Ghana,” he noted.
Architect Kojo Darko-Asante, lead architect for the team, said the proposal for the project was meticulously put together by a team of technical and engineering experts after a painstaking assessment of the wards.
He said the project would transform wards at the hospital into a world-class patient-friendly facility when successfully executed.
