Management of KATH to focus on quality health care this year

Kumasi, Feb. 4, GNA - The management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi would this year focus mainly on improved service delivery and make quality of health care its topmost priority.

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, who stated this, said after the massive investment in infrastructural development, equipment and human resource development, management believed that it was time such investments reflected in the quality of health care at the hospital.

Speaking at the opening of a three-day end of year performance review workshop of the hospital in Kumasi on Wednesday, Dr Nsiah-Asare, said that all directorates and units were expected to institute measures that would result in better quality of service and promote sub-specialist care in all aspect of medical care. Dr Nsiah-Asare announced that, a dermatology service would be introduced this year to provide specialist care for people with skin diseases. This follows the return of one of its medical practitioners who had completed specialist training in dermatology.

All is also set for the commencement of Bachelor of Science, Emergency Nursing Programme by June this year, while a residency programme in Emergency Medicine under collaboration with the University of Michigan in the USA would be on course this year. There would also be an expansion of the Oxygen plant serving the hospital to ensure uninterrupted supply in the face of the expected full operation of the new Accident and Emergency Centre and near completion of the Children and Maternity block projects. Dr Nsiah-Asare said the hospital recorded modest increases in surgical operations, primary health care, emergency admissions, radiotherapy, diagnostics and deliveries.

Surgical operations, he said increased from 23,602 cases in 2007 to 25,954 in 2008. Polyclinic services increased from 166,543 in 2007 to 180,890 in 2008 while diagnostics services increased to 440,186 cases in 2008 as against 386,965 cases in 2007. He said to ensure that staff were adequately motivated to perform better, management with the support of the Board of Directors had re-instituted the Best Worker Scheme to reward and recognise staff who were hard working and were acting as change agents in their various units, adding that, management planned to give the overall best worker of the hospital a brand new car this year. Dr Nsiah-Asare called on the staff to continue with their hard work to ensure continued growth of the hospital.