Korle Bu will not be shut down – Board Chair assures

The Board Chair of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has reiterated that his outfit will remain the premier hospital in the country and will not be shut down.

Contrary to reports of an imminent shutdown over failure to license, Dr. Okoe Boye said his outfit took the initiative to acquire the license so that other public health facilities which are yet to be licensed will follow suit.

According to him, a multiplicity of factors including the emphasis of the regulatory authority on licensing private hospitals made it difficult for public health institutions to be licensed.

His comment comes after reports that the country’s foremost hospital is at risk of being closed down by March 31, 2019.

The Health Facilities Regulatory Authority (HeFRA), the body mandated to license health institutions in Ghana, has said Korle Bu operates without a valid license. The Board Chairman of HeFRA, Nana Otuo Acheampong, disclosed this to JoyNews during an inspection of some private and public health facilities in Accra.

But speaking at the sidelines of the launch of the Skills Support project, Dr. Okoe Boye the Board Chair said, “Health facilities Regulation Authority (HEFRA) was set up to license health facilities to ensure they meet some basic standards.

“The motivation or purpose is to ensure that those who are motivated by profit do not cut corners in healthcare delivery.”

He added that “When it was set up traditionally the attention was on private facilities because they are the one’s profit-driven and not owned by the government. Although the law encompasses both public and private institutions they have spent attention on private facilities.

The Ledzokuku MP said, “For some time also HEFRA became moribund and was not active. We amended the law and they became active and started visiting facilities.”

“So Korle Bu Teaching Hospital being the premier hospital wanted to show the way that we also should harmonize and be subject to the law. We approached HEFRA, HEFRA did not approach us, picked the forms, paid for it and began the process,” he added.

Dr. Okoe Boye found it strange reports suggesting the premier hospital will be shut down by March 31st if it fails to license.

According to him, said the country’s number one referral centre needs the license for its own credibility and has taken the steps to finish the process of licensing.

He said given the over 4000 staff in the hospital; it will take a while for the hospital to complete the process.

He, however, assured the hospital will get a license and will not be shut down.