The inimitable national medical equipment replacement programme under Mahama

This US$264 million initiative ensured the provision of critical diagnostic and treatment equipment for over 150 hospitals nationwide.

These included all old Teaching Hospitals, all old Regional Hospitals, 125 District Hospitals, 14 Health Centres and 8 Mobile Clinics.

The equipment received by the hospitals varied from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, Flouroscopy Machines, X-ray Machines, Digital Mammography Machines, Oxygen Plants and Ambulances.

Under this programme, the nation's foremost teaching hospital, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, received significant resources to replace and rehabilitate obsolete equipment and theatres.

The Pediatric Surgery Theatre, which remained closed for almost eight years, the General Surgery Theatre and the Babies' Unit were all refurbished and made operational.

These unprecedented investments did not only change lives, but also yielded results as evident in the positive human development indicators recorded.

The Ghana Health and Demographic Survey revealed considerable improvement in infant mortality, percentage of deliveries in health facilities, as well as maternal and ante-natal healthcare.

The survey showed that whereas infant, child and under-five mortalities stood at 50, 31 and 80 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008, they dropped to 41, 19 and 60 deaths per 1,000 live births respectively in 2014.

Gleaned from the NDC Green Book.

Anthony Obeng Afrane