The Accra Psychiatric Hospital (APH) has organised a fundraising dinner, the first of its kind in the history of the institution.
Proceeds of the fundraising will be used for the refurbishment and equipping of the facility’s ailing laboratory.
The laboratory which was established in 2008 serves as the major source of revenue to the facility, serving in-patients and out-patients, as well as the general public.
In recent times, the absence of a laboratory at the facility has gravely affected patient care and the health system since diagnostic tests necessary for the proper treatment of patients has since been destabilised.
Dr Pianaman Apau, Director of APH, painted a picture of the state of the facility’s laboratory equipment, saying that the equipment of the laboratory are prone to frequent breakdowns due to their obsolete nature.
Elaborating the ordeal of the laboratory, Dr Apau stated that the essential parts needed to service the equipment are difficult to find because they are out of production.
She said that there was also lack of qualified personnel with requisite knowledge to maintain existing equipment when they broke down, which made the situation even more unbearable with the thought that there were equipment but nobody to fix them.
The estimated cost of refurbishing and purchasing the desired equipment which include bio-chemistry analyzer, hematology analyzer, drug analyzer and electroconvulsive therapy machine is GH¢500,000.
Dr Akwasi Osei, CEO of APH, disclosed that that the fundraising was a timely one, elaborating that the facility which was established 100 years ago has been in distress due to the lack of amenities.
The hospital is calling on individuals, churches, organisations, health institutions and the general public to support them purchase the laboratory equipment to ensure a total healthcare.
Donations can be made to a Bank of Ghana account with account name: Accra Psychiatric Hospital and an MTN mobile money account: 0541260268 with the name Emmanuel Sebiri.
By Abigail Owiredu-Boateng