President cuts sod for redevelopment of La General Hospital

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Tuesday broke the ground for the redevelopment of the La General Hospital in Accra.

The 160-bed ultra-modern facility is being funded with a 68million Euro credit facility sourced from the Standard Charted Bank of the United Kingdom.

The hospital, upon completion, will complement the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, and serve most people from Osu through La and Teshie, as well as residents living along the coastal corridor of Accra.

At a ceremony at the grounds of the hospital at La near Accra, President Akufo-Addo made known that the reconstruction of the hospital was because the five-storey structure of the hospital, which has since been demolished, was unfit for use.

Moreover, the hospital’s unplanned nature required re-organisation to enable the facility function effectively and efficiently to serve the needs of the La and adjoining communities.

The situation, coupled with the strategic location of the hospital location in the nation's health care delivery, the President indicated' spurred government to find the resources to embark on the redevelopment of the Hospital.

“Indeed, with admissions to this Hospital, arising from maternal health and other related complications, increasing from 20.5 per cent in 2008, to 30 per cent in 2017, and with pregnancy and related conditions, for the first time in the history of the life of this Hospital, being the number one cause of admission, require that we improve rapidly the facilities of this hospital”.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated that government was committed to providing Universal Health Coverage for all, adding that the project is "a sign of greater things to come for La, and, indeed, for the whole nation."

"Government’s commitment to the total development of Ghana is absolute,” he said.

The President disclosed that whilst the construction of new infrastructure was ongoing, the Ministry of Health was also putting in place measures to retrain existing staff.

The Ministry would also provide support to the various Colleges of Health Education, to guarantee the presence of the necessary human resources to man the facility when completed.

Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Health Minister, urged both contractors and consultants of the project to be mindful of the materials to be used for the project to protect the facilities from the negative impact of the sea.

The project will be undertaken by the Chinese company, Poly Changda, which has wide-ranging experience in China and other parts of Africa in the construction of healthcare facilities.

Upon completion, the hospital will be fitted with an outpatient department; inpatient wards; maternity and neonatal services; surgical unit with four theatres; accident and emergency department; public health department; pharmacy unit; laboratory; administration; imaging area, with CT Scan, X-ray room, ultrasound, flouroscopy, mammography units; physiotherapy unit; and a mortuary.