KATH to complete hostel for relatives of in-patients

The management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is working to complete a hostel facility intended to provide accommodation for relatives of patients on admission.

Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, said the project, which was almost completed, had experienced delays from the contractor, but management and the Board were taking steps to address the challenges.

He said the facility would provide temporary accommodation for relatives who travelled from distant parts of the country to accompany patients receiving treatment at the hospital.

Dr. Baidoo disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the hospital's inter-directorate fun games at the Paa Joe Stadium of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

He said the KATH received patients from 12 of Ghana's 16 regions, while its specialised services also attracted patients from outside the country.

He cited the hospital's Cleft Centre, which had received patients from countries including Mexico, saying the situation underscored the need for adequate support facilities around the hospital.

Dr. Baidoo said some relatives who accompanied patients to KATH from communities far from Kumasi often had no family members or friends in the city and could also struggle to afford accommodation.

He, however, explained that providing accommodation for relatives of patients was not part of the hospital's core mandate, although management had taken up the initiative as a moral responsibility.

Dr. Baidoo said: “Taking care of relatives is not our core mandate.

We do that because people are coming from all walks of life and they may not have anybody here or may not be able to afford the cost of accommodation.”

The CEO said the management was also engaging individuals and organisations to support the provision of accommodation for patients' relatives.

He disclosed that the hospital had approached the Church of Pentecost, which had agreed to incorporate the construction of another hostel facility into its budget.

Dr. Baidoo said land had already been earmarked for the proposed facility around the hospital's Emergency and Trauma Centre.

He said the KATH had land available for expansion and would continue to explore partnerships with organisations and individuals to develop facilities that would complement its healthcare services.

Dr. Baidoo stressed that while the hospital's core responsibility was to provide healthcare to patients, supporting their relatives was a collective responsibility that required the involvement of stakeholders across the country.

He appealed to corporate organisations, faith-based organisations, philanthropists and other individuals to support efforts to provide decent accommodation for relatives of patients receiving treatment at the KATH.

GNA