Under the dream of H.E. John Evans Atta Mills of the blessed memory the current administration of Korle-Bu’s aim is to develop the hospital into modern standard. This vision has kick-started by both the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Belstar when they handed over six projects valued at $ 52 million to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
It forms part of the government?s effort to provide quality health care for the advancement of the Better Ghana Agenda under the National Equipment Replacement Project.
The project includes refurbishment and re-equipment of the selected critical functional areas such as the laundry, kitchen, medical imaging, wards and operating theatres the first under a capital investment project.
The refurbished units which were abandoned and closed down for about eight years were refurbished and re-equipped by the Belstar Development.
The dental department has been re-fitted with brand new dental treatment units and ancillary accessories. New X-ray machines have also been installed while the children?s theatre has been fully refurbished and equipped.
Addressing the gathering at the ceremony to handover the projects, the Minister for Health, Ms. Sherry Ayittey, said the health sector had been constrained by the lack of long term funding?s especially in the purchase of spare parts and medical consumables.
?The situation therefore presents a significant public policy opportunity for the Ministry of Health and its agencies to serve as stewards for the identification of alternative source of funding for health technology management in hospitals? she noted.
Ms. Ayittey added that the cost recovery on capital equipment inputs use in clinical service delivery contributes to internally generated funds of healthcare providers which seem to be the best option.
According to her it has become necessary to set up a Medical Equipment Support Fund(MESF) with resource from the internally generated funds for the health institutions for the servicing of recurrent costs which includes maintenance and long term payment of the credit facilities with which this capital equipment are procured.
She appealed to the management and staff of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to observe maintenance culture to ensure that the new equipment had longer life span.
