The first phase of construction and expansion works at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which comprised a four-storey hospital building with ancillary facilities, has been completed and handed over to TTH Administration.

The new magnificent and imposing edifice, named “Building E”, and described as “the new oxygen plant of TTH”; houses facilities such as Accidents and Emergency Department, CSSD, Surgical Suites (theatres), Maternity, Intensive Care Unit, Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit and Radiology and CT scan.

Other structures completed as part of the first phase includes “Building L”, which is the Mothers’ Hostel, and “Building M”, which is the Children’s Block.

Mr Sietse Zoodsma, Chief Executive Officer of Simed International (BV), contractors of the project, handed over a symbolic key of the building to Mr Alban Bagbin, Minister of Health at a ceremony at the forecourt of the TTH in Tamale on Monday.

The ceremony was attended by health sector workers, chiefs and people, and leaders of political parties in the Northern Region.

Mr Bagbin then handed it over to Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister, who also handed it over to Dr Ken Sagoe, CEO of TTH.

Mr Bagbin said the successful completion of the first phase showed government’s avowed commitment to investing in and improving healthcare delivery, especially in the northern sector of the country.

He said government in 2000, secured a 54 million dollar facility to undertake the construction and expansion works on TTH but unfortunately it exited power and the project came to a standstill.

The completion of the first phase paves the way for TTH Authorities to evacuate their operations from the old hospital building into the new one, to allow for a complete refurbishment of the old structure, which forms part of the second phase of the project.

The second phase is scheduled to be completed in November this year, which will increase the bed capacity of TTH to 1000, with state-of-the-art equipment for improved healthcare delivery.

Mr Bagbin said a contract had been awarded to create a dedicated electricity line to the hospital to ensure uninterrupted power supply for its activities.

He said work was also ongoing to improve water supply to the hospital.

He announced that government had procured a number of hospital equipment worth 270 million dollars to equip all health institutions across the country.

He said the equipment would be arriving in the country in June, this year.

Mr Bagbin advised health sector workers to change their mindset about patients and consider them as partners, by rendering quality service to them.

Dr Sagoe thanked President Mills for keeping to his promise to upgrade TTH, and also expressed appreciation to the Government of the Royal Netherlands and her Embassy in Accra for their assistance.

He appealed to the staff of TTH “to keep this edifice like our own individual property so that 10 years down the line, it will continue to be like it is now”.

Mr Mabengba said, the completion of the first phase was a testament that the “Better Ghana Agenda” was “well on course”.

TTH was constructed in 1974 and has since seen no commensurate refurbishment or renovation.**