Ghana’s second largest referral facility, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), has taken delivery of equipment valued at about US$250,000.00 to strengthen paediatric intensive care.

These included monitors, electrocardiograms, pulse oximeters, ventilators and disposables.

They were donated by a medical team from the Boston Children’s Hospital, United States (US), on an outreach mission at the hospital.

The team led by Professor Francis Fynn-Thomson, alongside their Ghanaian counterparts, had earlier, successfully performed free heart surgery on 12 children, suffering from various heart conditions.

It would have cost each beneficiary patient an average of GH¢3,500.00 to undergo the surgery.

Prof Fynn-Thomson told journalists that the team had been visiting over the last 10 years and the goal was to bring medical help to children with heart diseases.

It was also to provide technical support and assist to build the capacity of doctors working in the hospital, to efficiently handle cardiovascular cases and other related services, particularly to children.

He hailed the partnership between the two facilities and applauded doctors at the PICU for the hard work and commitment to give quality care to children.

Prof John Appiah Adabie, Head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), thanked the team for the assistance and said it had brought tremendous relief to sick children and their families.

He said the equipment without doubt would improve the capacity of the Unit and raise the quality of care.

He used the occasion to underline the need to find the money to complete the maternal and child health block of the hospital, the construction of which started 43 years ago, to provide more space for efficient medical care for women and children.