Let’s commit adequate resources to children’s health care — First Lady

The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has stressed the need for society to commit adequate resources and capital to facilities, programmes and initiatives that cater for the health care of children. 

She said children represented the foundation of society’s future, and as such early healthcare interventions could prevent lifelong illnesses, reduce mortality rates and promote optimal physical and mental development, enabling children to grow into healthy, productive adults. 

“No matter how brilliant, committed and dedicated our health employees are, they simply cannot give their best without the needed inputs. There's something about a sick child that tears at one's heart. And there's nothing as disheartening as not knowing what to do for a sick child or feeling inadequate to do so,” she added. 

The First Lady made the remarks in a pre-recorded message at the 5th anniversary of the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) yesterday. 

PICU @ 5

Established in 2019, the first-of-its-kind 41-bed facility was funded by the Rebecca Foundation to improve access to health care for children. 

Mrs Akufo-Addo recalled the reason for the establishment of the PICU, noting that as an organisation, her outfit believed that the ability of any society to take care of the vulnerable, especially children, showed the humanity of that society. 

She then commended the staff of the unit for their dedication to helping and catering for children who were placed under their care. 

Life-saving role

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the KBTH, Dr Frank Owusu Sekyere, highlighted the life-saving role the unit had played since its establishment five years ago, stressing that families had witnessed remarkable transformations from the dire conditions their children arrived in to the improved outcomes they experienced upon leaving.

He also announced that the hospital was discussing with partners and stakeholders to establish a paediatric intensive care unit fund to ensure sustained high-quality care. 

The Head of the PICU, Dr Claudia Adja-Sai, said the hospital’s statistics had indicated a 66 per cent reduction in emergency room mortality, earning Ghana international recognition. 

“Our data has not just remained in Ghana, it has reached the world in a poster presentation that was recently shared at the World Federation of Paediatric Intensive and Critical Care Society Conference in Mexico, which highlighted our outcomes and also showed us some of the causes of mortality in children under five years. Because of this data, we have preliminary evidence to direct our efforts in instituting interventions,” she said.

However, Dr Adja-Sai said despite the gains made, which also included nationwide awareness creation and an advocacy campaign on child aspiration pneumonia, the facility was facing some challenges such as financial constraints due to some patients not being able to make payments; unavailability of laboratory and other support services and inadequate equipment and consumables and staff.