President inaugurates St Michael's Specialist Hospital

A private hospital, St Michael's Specialist Hospital (SMSH) at Abeka Lapaz in Accra, has been inaugurated to augment quality healthcare delivery in the country.

The 90-bed facility aims to provide first-class, personalised and timely health care in a comfortable and luxurious environment.

It also aims to be the preferred health service provider in the country and in West Africa by providing excellent and patient-centred care while exuding true comfort.

The hospital aims to set a new precedent for healthcare delivery in the country, providing services in general and specialist medical care, such as cardiac care, day surgery, hemodialysis, General Outpatient Consultations, CT-scanning, X-ray and general ultrasound services and laboratory services.

Inaugurating the facility, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the holistic development of health infrastructure by the government is to make the country an attractive medical destination with excellent medical facilities to serve the country and beyond.

Vision

He said his vision was to leverage the favourable status of the country as the most peaceful in West Africa, a beacon of democracy and a land of opportunities, to help make the country a centre of excellence for medical care in the sub-region by 2030.

“This, we will achieve by investing more in the development of our healthcare infrastructure, mapping our regional health facilities to specialisation as well as upgrading selected facilities in our region and teaching hospitals into world-class standards,” he stated.

President Akufo-Addo further stressed the commitment of his government to improve access to essential and quality health services through the provision of the necessary healthcare infrastructure, equipment and logistics, including the deployment of the appropriate technology as part of the drive to attain universal health coverage.

“Good health is fundamental to all we do and hope to do and that was the reason access to quality health care was a right enshrined in the constitution of the country.”

He said the government had since 2017 showed its commitment to the realisation of this vision through the restoration of the nurses training allowances and the recruitment of the highest number of healthcare workers in the history of the fourth republic with 58, 041 health workers employed to supplement the existing health sector workforce at the height of COVID-19.

The Ghana Ambulance Service, the President stated, had also been equipped with 307 ambulances, one for each constituency and also improved the NHIS to make access easier while drones had also been introduced to deliver emergency medical supplies to remote areas of our country.

Commendation

President Akufo-Addo commended the Board Chairman of the hospital, Michael Banahene, on his brilliant initiative, saying his life story should encourage other Ghanaians not to give up or throw their hands up in despair, but rather, work hard to realise their dreams to contribute to the growth and development of the country.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who graced the occasion, also described Mr Banahene, his grandnephew, as a special and courageous personality who had fulfilled his dream.

The former President was also happy that the creative youth of the country continued to inspire themselves and future generations.

The Medical Director of the St Michael's Specialist Hospital, Dr Lawrence Sereboe, said all the investment made by SMSH would position it to match and in some aspects, even exceed what could be found outside the country.

He further stressed the importance of effective maintenance of all the equipment and gave an assurance that the team would ensure that a serious maintenance culture was in place.