Maternal deaths at KATH down compared to last year

Maternal deaths at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) significantly reduced within the first half of the year, Professor Ohene Adjei, the Chief Executive, has said.

The mortality rate dropped to 10.34 per 1,000 live births from 12.49 in 2011 compared to the record in the same period.

Prof. Ohene Adjei was speaking at a two-day mid-year performance review meeting in Kumasi.

He said with the new lease of life given to the hospital’s decades-old Maternity and Children’s Block Project through the 2012 national budgetary support of GH¢11 million, things could improve.

He expressed optimism that the over 900-bed facility would soon be ready to create more space and enhance the quality of care for mothers and their babies.

Prof. Adjei said despite challenges with funding, the hospital invested in some projects to upgrade the infrastructure.

Key among these are the construction of an eye clinic, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) centre, procurement of two x-ray processors, installation of additional jumbo water tanks and stand-by generators to ensure uninterrupted water and power supply.

The eye clinic is being built with mixed funding of internally-generated funds ( and assistance from external partners including the United States Agency for International Development (DFID) and the Himalayan Cataract Project of the United States).

The hospital has so far pumped GH¢402,940.95 into the project with the partners providing US$495,000.00.

Prof. Ohene Adjei said the MRI project on the other hand is wholly government-funded and that all installation and test-runs of the equipment had been done and what is left is the fixing of a transformer for the facility.

He talked about a “special free medical scheme” instituted for staff and their families.

Under it, the over 3,500 hospital staff and their families would be assisted to bear the cost of health care services not covered by the National Health Insurance to the tune of GH¢3,000.00 per family.

There would also be best staff awards, provident fund and shuttle services.

The Chief Executive appealed to the workers to re-dedicate themselves to the cause of helping to save lives and to use internal grievance resolution mechanisms to resolve all problems to allow for industrial harmony.