Ultra-Modern Eye Centre For Korle-Bu

-As Government Pumps $250m on Recapitalization

The Foundation Stone for the construction of the new International Lions Eye Centre at Korle-bu Teaching Hospital was unveiled by the Vice President H.E. John Dramani Mahama at an impressive ceremony on the facility’s premises last Friday, April 20.

The new centre which is envisaged to be one of excellence is meant to develop a new Ophthalmology Department and to introduce and run a range of training programmes for Ophtalmologists across West Africa.

The project is being constructed and equipped at a cost of US$6million out of which Lions Club International has contributed US$2million and corporate bodies together with philanthropists in Ghana are contributing US$500,000. The government of Ghana would contribute substantially to equipping and maintenance of the centre.

In his address, the Vice President noted that the project which takes off this week represents the demonstration of an integrated vision which will build the new institution to serve mankind and hold lessons for other initiatives that government and development partners are taking to move the nation forward. He said when completed the centre will provide care not only for Ghanaians but also for people of the sub-region in addition to training programmes and promote research into eye disorders for effective management and treatment. He said the new centre will also benefit from equipment to be supplied under the US$250 million which has been secured by government to support a major retooling of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital and other hospitals across the country. He reiterated that government will continue to invest in critical facilities in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as the nation’s premier referral centre adding that, the provision of new lifts at a whooping cost of GHC 2.4 million was done because of the importance government attaches to the facility.

The CEO of Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK, the renowned Eye hospital whose staff and consultants constitute important stake holders in the project noted at the ceremony that out of the 260 million people in West Africa, an estimated 2.6million are blind with over 2.6 others suffering conditions leading to preventable blindness in their countries. This he said is because eye-care specialists are under resourced in terms of specialist manpower care and resources for dealing with what he called “enormous human problem”.

He hoped that all those to be entrusted with the centre’s construction, administration, service, teaching and research will work diligently with passion and as a team to create “The West African Moorfields Eye Hospital at Korle Bu”. On his part,, the CEO of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Nii Otu Nartey lauded government’s efforts to rehabilitate aging infrastructure and equipment in the hospital and others across the nation. He hinted that government is funding the construction of a new Imaging Centre to be equipped with top of the range MRI and CT Scan and other diagnostic equipment. Further, Prof. Nartey touched on funding assistance for the rehabilitation of the laundry, the central kitchen, some wards and 13 of the 23 theatres and their re-equipping which he said will be completed by the end of the year. He also announced the completion of the Radio therapy Centre Building and re-equipment and the acquisition of a $60 million loan to build the first phase of an Emergency Hospital Complex befitting the status of Korle-bu.