Relationships have been strained and friends have been lost – KATH CEO recounts

Exactly a year after his appointment, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), one of the biggest referral hospitals in Ghana, has stated he has lost his friendship in his bid to enable the facility to function effectively.

In a Facebook post, sighted by MyNewsGh.com commemorating a year in office, Professor Dr. Otchere Addai-Mensah disclosed that despite the job being rewarding and daunting, he has made enemies and lost friends.

He admits that he has some level of huge support from staff, but some relationships have also been strained along the line.

In the post, Professor Addai-Mensah gives appreciation to the President His Excellence Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for the appointment 12 months on but also talks about the challenge facing him.

“Exactly one year ago, I took on the very challenging but rewarding task of leading the change agenda at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, having been appointed by His Excellency the President( I’m grateful sir).”

“While I admit to having had the support of all professional groups in the hospital, God has been at the center of it all. Relationships have been strained and friends have been lost, yes, but it’s all in the bid to make KATH a better place.”

He, however, calls for forgiveness from persons who have been unhappy with his approach to making things right at the hospital and who feel hurt.

“Forgive if I stepped on your toes; it’s been for our collective good.

I continue to hold on firmly to the horns of the altar. I cannot afford to faint,” he wrote.

The CEO, with the support of the Ashanti King, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has begun an ambitious project to rehabilitate the almost 75-year-old facility.

Its target is to raise 10 million dollars to renovate the hospital as part of Otmufuo’s’ 25th anniversary on the throne.

There are some people who have also questioned why the central government is not taking up the renovation of KATH, a facility that serves 12 regions out of the 16 in the country.