Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, KATH CEO
KOMFO ANOKYE Teaching Hospital (KATH), the leading medical facility in the Ashanti Region and the northern sector of the country, has attained 70 years this year, having officially started its impactful operations in 1955.
In celebrating this great milestone, the hospital’s management, led by their visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, has planned massive celebrations this year to mark KATH’s extraordinary contributions to healthcare delivery in the country.
The KATH CEO made the announcement during this year’s KATH annual Thanksgiving Service, Long Service and Best Staff Awards ceremony, which was held at the hospital’s premises.
“I wish to take this opportunity to announce that KATH is 70 years this year, having commenced formal operations in 1955. A comprehensive programme is expected to be launched in the course of the year to celebrate the outstanding contributions of this great hospital to the delivery of specialist clinical services, training and research in the country.
“It is my hope that the good people of Ghana will join us to mark this special occasion when eventually outdoored. KATH has had 70 years of impactful operations and it would not be out of place to use this milestone to celebrate its past achievements and explore the options for repositioning it for the future.
“For seven decades, KATH has touched millions of lives through healing, training and research in the healthcare space, and its anniversary needs to be meaningfully celebrated,” Prof. Addai-Mensah stated.
Touching on some of the latest developments in the hospital, which have impacted in healthcare delivery, he said the Dialysis Centre has been expanded, leading to the “increase in dialysis machines from 2 in 2023 to a total of 15 by the end of 2024, and the retooling of the Laundry Unit among others.”
He also said “with a focus on timely and accurate diagnostics, the hospital introduced a new service to provide prompt laboratory services to the public through the establishment of a Short Turn Around Time (STAT) Laboratory at the Family Medicine Directorate.”
Explaining further about the STAT, Prof. Addai-Mensah stated that, “This laboratory enables us to provide rapid test results for urgent cases, reducing waiting times and enhancing the overall patient experience.”
The KATH CEO also noted that, “A nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for,” stressing the need for KATH to always recognise and honour its staff who live up to expectations, in order to motivate others to also work hard.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah, Kumasi