Health Ministry moves to procure catheterisation lab for KATH
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has commenced the process to procure a catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) for the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi and other sister health facilities in the country.
The intervention is to help expand access to comprehensive cardiac care for patients who need such critical services.
The swift move by the ministry through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) followed the tragic death of Dr Kwame Adu Ofori, a 47-year-old emergency physician at KATH, about two months ago.
He suffered a myocardial infarction, a “heart attack”, and urgently required percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) because one of the blood vessels that supply his heart was blocked.
To save his life, doctors needed to quickly do a special procedure to open the blocked vessel and restore blood flow.
This is usually done by passing a small tube through a blood vessel in the hand or leg to reach the heart, then using a balloon or placing a tiny metal tube (called a stent) to keep the blood vessel open.
Sadly, there was no catheterisation laboratory at KATH, and painfully, he died before gaining access to intervention in Accra.
A cath lab is a hospital room with imaging equipment where cardiologists perform minimally invasive tests and procedures to diagnose and treat heart conditions.
Mid-year conference
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, disclosed this last Tuesday while addressing the mid-year review conference of KATH. The ceremony was the CEO’s maiden conference since his appointment as the new CEO of the facility in May this year.
He expressed worry that vital equipment such as the cath lab and Mammogram were completely non-existent in the facility, saying “very soon, we shall begin to see the manifest improvement in the state of the equipment and other facilities in the hospital”.
Additionally, he mentioned that critical equipment such as C.T. scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Fluoroscopy, Oxygen Plants and Central Sterilisation equipment were also needed in the hospital.
Stalled projects
Touching on projects, he said several critical projects being executed to provide spaces for clinical and other allied services had stalled, while the existing ones were undergoing severe wear and tear due to a lack of comprehensive renovations over the years.
Notable among them are the sickle cell and blood centre, the doctor’s office complex block, the psychiatry expansion project and the modernisation of the old “Gee” blocks.
To tackle some of them, he mentioned crucial meetings held with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Ghana Gas Company, NHIA and the Bank of Ghana, among others, to improve facilities in the hospital.
Performance
Spelling out the half-year performance of the hospital, he announced that the specialist out-patient department (OPD) recorded 143,858 cases, while the oral health directorate also recorded the most improvement in its output by exceeding its target for the period by 21 per cent.
“Emergency admissions, laboratory services, deliveries, primary care and radiotherapy services went down by 12.62, 1.15, 17.47, 7.77 and 4.52 percentage points as against the target set”, he said, adding, “While inpatient admissions dropped by nine per cent, total deaths reduced by 13 per cent”.
As the hospital marks its 70th anniversary this year, he said his vision was to transform KATH into a true centre of excellence where staff members' sacrifices and innovations are duly recognised, stakeholders' support is acknowledged, and services to clients are life-changing.
Take stock
In a remark, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, said the meeting provided an opportunity for them to assess their performance in improving healthcare delivery in the region.
While pledging to work closely with the management of KATH towards efficient healthcare delivery, he said, “as a directorate, we believe that for us to succeed, we have to work together”.
Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.
