Accra (Greater Accra), 7th May ?99 ?
Vice-President John Atta Mills on Thursday cut the sod for the construction of a 140-bed ultra-modern hospital complex in Accra and said he expects that the project will provide a benchmark in health care, as well as reduce pressure on existing facilities.
The 26 million-dollar Accra International hospital project situated near the animal husbandry department, off the Accra-Tema motorway, is expected to be completed within 18 months. Construction work will begin in June this year.
The project is being undertaken by a team of consultants and promoters led by Dr. Alex Peter Danso, a Ghanaian urologist based in Harare, Zimbabwe, with both local and foreign financing.
The facility, which will be of world class standard, will house a 24-hour emergency centre with helicopter services, seven theatres, laboratories and wards, among others.
Vice-President Mills lauded the initiative, which, he said, was the first of its kind that will complement government efforts at providing quality health care for the people.
He commended the promoters and other stakeholders for their foresight and investment that would help mitigate the brain drain of health professionals from the country and significantly reduce the need for expensive overseas medical care.
Dr. Danso said the hospital would provide tele-medicine services to seek consultation from experts abroad.
An international management team will run it under a special regulatory body that will ensure high professional standards by all workers. It is expected to create some 270 jobs when completed.
He said the target market for the hospital would not be limited to Ghana alone.
Dr. Danso, who has 15 years experience in health insurance, said services at the hospital would be categorised to make room for affordability. Besides, he hopes the proposed national health insurance scheme would cushion the cost effects on the ordinary worker.
Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor, Minister of Health, expressed his ministry's support for the project.
Mr Kwesi Abeasi, Director-General, Private Enterprise Foundation, asked the banks to provide long-term lending for the project.
He called for such joint private sector initiatives to complement government commitment in the provision of social amenities.
