Refurbishment of Ridge Hospital begins

As part of the refurbishment, it will be expanded from a 200- to 420-bed capacity hospital, while departments such as Imaging, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Accident and Emergency, Neonatal Intensive Care, Burns, Pharmacy and Laboratory, will all be expanded.

The $250-million project, to be funded by the Exim Bank and HSBC Bank of the United States of America, will also address all civil works, mechanical and electrical works and make the hospital a 24-hour diagnostic and treatment facility.

The refurbishment project, which is being executed by Bouygues Bartiment International of the United States, is expected to be completed in two years.

At a ceremony, the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, said the upgrading of the hospital would increase access to health care and improve the quality of health care in the region.

She added that Ridge Hospital would support the teaching hospitals to train more health personnel.

The Medical Director of the Ridge Hospital, Dr Obeng-Apori, said the quantum leap in the provision of service and training of health personnel at the hospital did not match the provision of infrastructure.

Since 1928, he added, only a few structures had been added  to the old ones, leading to overcrowding at the hospital.

By Salomey Appiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana