The Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) has climaxed its silver jubilee in glitz and glamour with an appeal to government and corporate organisations to resource the facility with critical modern equipment and infrastructure to enhance quality healthcare delivery. Dr Eric Kofi Ngyedu, CEO of the facility, said the hospital had made significant investments in various areas of operation over the years to further its agenda of becoming a top global health service centre. In spite of that, he said the facility continued to grapple with inadequate infrastructure with many critical equipment either lacking, inadequate or obsolete and therefore, needed urgent retooling. Some of the affected devices included equipment for anesthesia, endoscopy, laundry, and Central Sterile Services, Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, and power generators. ‘Moving forward, we will continue to appeal to the Government of Ghana and Corporate Ghana for the replacement of obsolete and aged critical equipment as well as the provision of other needed equipment and infrastructure to help improve on our services,’ he said. The 25th anniversary of CCTH was celebrated on the theme: ’25 years of Quality Health Care: Repositioning for Excellence.’ The hospital, the first of the series of ultra-modern regional hospitals constructed in the late 1990s, was commissioned on Wednesday, August 12, 1998, with a capacity of 226 beds and 140 staff. It was later upgraded to a teaching hospital status in 2014 and currently has more than 400 beds and 1,976 staff. The CEO, with the support of some dignitaries, and board and management members cut a cake designed as a replica of the hospital and popped 25 bottles of champaign to mark the climax of the celebration. The hospital also honoured some past and present management and board members, chiefs, and corporate institutions with citations for their immense contribution to the growth of the facility. Dr Ngyedu intimated that the hospital had achieved significant success and further instituted measures including the establishment of new specialist clinics and units to ensure excellent service. He added that CCTH had advanced in the areas of infrastructure development, equipment, technology, research, and human resource and would continue that path to improve service outcomes. ‘I will not forget the fact that the hospital is also leveraging the digitisation agenda of the country to improve technology for service delivery,’ he added. The CEO, however, acknowledged that there were still gaps and assured that they were working to bridge them to ensure CCTH operated fully as a teaching hospital. For instance, he noted that the facility was saddled with congestion at the OPD, and the Accident and Emergency Unit, encroachment of hospital’s lands, inadequate vehicles, and inadequate accommodation for staff. Dr Ngyedu said with the support of government and other partners, the hospital was undertaking a number of infrastructural projects which were at different stages of completion. They included an infectious disease centre, expansion of the accident and emergency ward, patients’ relatives’ hostel, ultra-modern eye surgical and training centre, and expansion of the pharmacy warehouse. Dr Ngyedu noted that CCTH in its nine years as a teaching hospital had secured accreditations from numerous institutions including the Medical and Dental Council, the Ghana college of Physicians and Surgeons to train professionals. In partnership with the School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast (UCC-SMS), the hospital had trained 564 undergraduate medical students with 352 others currently undergoing clinical training. He expressed gratitude to government and all stakeholders for their continuous support for the hospital. Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, speaking on behalf of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia assured that government was exploring all avenues to improve healthcare delivery in the Central Region. She noted that eight out of governments agenda 111 projects were in the Central Region with six of them at various stages of completion while two were yet to commence. She said since 2017, government had completed and commissioned a number of health infrastructure as a demonstration of its commitment to the health sector. Mrs Assan added that the government had worked to digitise healthcare operations in response to the changing phase of the health sector. Mrs Tina Mensah, a Deputy Minister of Health, and Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, celebrating with the hospital, deplored the negative attitudes of some health professions in public health facilities. She, therefore, charged them to religiously comply with their code of conduct, rules, and regulations as they deliver health care to the populace. ‘I also urge all health managers to ensure strict compliance with the Public Financial and Procurement regulations governing the public sector,’ she added. Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, Paramount Chief of Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area and Board Chair of the hospital, commended the leadership of CCTH for championing innovation, securing resources, and forging productive partnerships. He said the hospital had saved countless lives and brought smiles to many families, recounting a few instances. ‘As we commemorate our Silver Jubilee under the theme: ’25 years of quality health care: Repositioning for excellence,’ let us take a moment to look forward,’ he added.
Source: Ghana News Agency
