The abandoned maternity block
President Akufo-Addo paid a working visit to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi on Saturday, where he inspected the 43-year-old maternity ward project which is still under construction.
After President Akufo-Addo’s visit, he disclosed that he would complete the abandoned KATH maternity block started by the Acheampong regime.
President Akufo-Addo tweeted, “I intend to complete the KATH maternity block project that has been left uncompleted for the last 44 years.”
The project which was started in the 1970s is yet to be completed, as past governments failed woefully to attend to it, thereby, making it a white elephant.
Concerns have been raised about how the project had been abandoned by successive governments, especially at a time that KATH is being faced with congestion problems, particularly at the maternity ward.
The president who was in the Ashanti Region for a three-day working tour visited the facility to personally assess it so that his government could find ways of raising funds to complete it.
Accompanied by scores of ministers and government officials, the president charged the contractor and consultant in charge of the project to keep updating him on the progress of the work.
President Akufo-Addo particularly asked about the level of works done so far on the project and what is needed to be done so that the controversial 1000-bed facility would be completed for the benefit of all.
The president toured the facility, accompanied by KATH CEO, Dr Joseph Akpaloo, and other top party members. The maternity ward project had been stalled for some time now due to lack of cash.
Being constructed by Cymain Construction Ghana Limited, the facility would go a long way in helping to stop congestion problems being experienced at KATH in recent times, with its attendant problems.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi