Korle-Bu now produces Oxygen for patients care

The Korle-bu Teaching Hospital which virtually collapsed under previous administrations due to logistical, material and financial constraints, is beginning to breath back to life in just two months of the leadership of its new Chief Executive, Dr. Felix Anyah.

The hospital has over the years been bedevilled with the broken down of oxygen plants, its laboratory not running at full plus, shortage of reagents among others.

These developments have seriously affected the smooth running of the health facility making it to lose billions of Cedis in paying for such services by private providers.

The situation has been attributed to poor management and lack of ingenuity on the part of previous CEOs, Boards and management of the hospital.

However, since the appointment of a new CEO, there have been positive indications of how he has begun massive transformation of the hospital to the admiration of both staff and patients.

GO News has established during its visit to the hospital that the hospital is now saving billions of Cedis as result of the changes Dr Felix Anyah is implementing.

This paper can confirm that two of the broken down oxygen plants which have been lying at the hospital idle have been fixed and fully operational with the other two under repairs since funds for spare parts, stocking and refurbishment have been released.

It came up during our visit that before the new CEO took over office, the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital was spending close to GH¢100,000 every month in purchasing oxygen from private sources.

Speaking to some staff of the hospital, they expressed great satisfaction at the manner in which the new CEO is running the affairs of the hospital.

They also indicated that oxygen which used to be a scarce commodity at the hospital leading to several deaths, is now flowing to all wards and departments thereby relieving staff of shortages and delays in getting oxygen for clinical purposes.

Further checks have revealed that over 3000 oxygen filled cylinders are currently being used at the hospital with constant flow of oxygen through the main pipelines to departments and wards.

The Korle-bu Teaching Hospital is now producing its own oxygen for patients care without relying on private sources. This, many staff described as a major breakthrough for the hospital since it will retain huge money which hitherto were used to pay private providers.

GO news team has also gathered that the hospital lab is now running full plus tests as against the practise under the previous CEOs.

Documents available to this paper have it that 37 different tests have now been added to the tests being run at the hospital giving the lab the full capacity to serve the public's laboratory needs.

Previously the hospital was not running test on Anaemia studies, hommones, renal, tumor markers among others.

This situation has completely changed, as according to information the new CEO who was uncomfortable with the situation put in place measure to ensure that the lab begins running these tests as well.

“All these happened within two months of his coming,” a staff said.

The CEO has also caused the purchase and installation of100 Digital PBX Telephone systems within the hospital to support appointments, reduce long patient waiting time, implement policy of the use of mobile phones in designated areas and ensure smooth and timely referrals.

Aside all these great strides Dr. Felix Anyah has chalked in two months of his administration, he has also contributed personally to the development of some areas in the hospital.

This paper has gathered that Dr Anyah made personal donations of two Air Conditioners to the physio therapy department, Digital television set to the Renal Unit, EU3,700 from his personal resources to bring engineers from manufacturing companies who came to work on the broken down oxygen plants.

He is also painting the Child Health Unit of the hospital from his personal resources.

Talking to some patients especially those who have been on admission over the past two months, they averred that they have begun experiencing some unique services which have brought some appreciable level of satisfaction and recovery to them.

Whilst staff are commending the CEO for these achievements and calling on him to continue in that spirit so as to restore the hospital to it’s former glory as Ghana’s premier hospital, patients and visitors are also calling on government to offer all the support the CEO needs to be able to implement the changes he has set out to being to the hospital.