KATH: Parliamentary Committee demands completion of 500-bed maternity block

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Health has called on the government to urgently complete the 500-bed maternity and children’s block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), describing the prolonged delay as a waste of taxpayers’ money.

The committee made the appeal after inspecting the unfinished facility and ongoing construction of a new catheterisation laboratory at the hospital in Kumasi.

Deputy Ranking Member of the committee, Patrick Boakye-Yiadom, expressed disappointment that a project intended to improve maternal and child healthcare had remained unfinished for years, despite its importance to the country’s health system.

“Successive governments will come and will not continue projects that are ongoing. It’s very bad; we must stop and must make sure we make good use of the taxpayers’ money,” he said.

The contractor disclosed to the committee that civil works on the maternity and children’s block were approximately 56 per cent complete, while procurement stood at about 75 per cent.

Mr Boakye-Yiadom appealed to the Mahama administration to prioritise the project, stressing that its completion would improve access to specialised healthcare for mothers and children from across Ghana and neighbouring countries.

The committee's appeal comes as work progresses on KATH’s new catheterisation laboratory, a specialised facility expected to strengthen the hospital’s capacity to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions.

The construction of the catheterisation laboratory has reached 67 per cent completion, according to contractors.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Kurt Mark Nawaane expressed confidence that the facility would be handed over to the government as scheduled.

Dr Nawaane described the cath lab as one of the President’s legacy projects and commended the contractor for the progress made.

The project manager, Abraham Fiscian, said all equipment required for the facility was already in the country, except for a lift.

He explained that the equipment would be installed once the finishing works were completed, adding that the project team was confident of meeting the December deadline.

Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr Paa Kwasi Baidoo, said the hospital was committed to working with the contractor and consultants to deliver the cath lab on or before December 31, 2026.

He said the project would strengthen the hospital’s capacity to provide specialised cardiac care, while announcing plans for additional facilities, including an ultramodern oncology centre and a kidney centre.

Dr Baidoo said the hospital had secured additional land to accommodate some of its planned developments.

The deputy ranking member of the committee stressed that the urgency attached to the cath lab should also be extended to the unfinished maternity and children’s block, insisting that both projects were essential to improving healthcare delivery.

“The same seriousness we are attaching to this cath lab project should be attached to all the other projects. Because no project is demeaning. All projects are required,” he said.

For KATH, the completion of the two facilities would address different but equally important needs; specialised treatment for heart conditions and expanded healthcare services for mothers and children.