By Alex Ababio
The former Chief Executive officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, KATH ,Dr Joseph Akpaloo has been accused of causing the delay of a construction of a three story , 134-bed hostel facility initiated by the NDC government for accommodating people who are taking care of sick relatives admitted at the hospital in Kumasi in the Ashanti region .
According to investigation by our editor , Alex Ababio the facility has been left to rot by the current administration of KATH headed by the Chief Executive Officer , Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso on the grounds that the former Chief Executive Officer of the hospital did not follow the public procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended by Parliament of Ghana on Friday ,March 18,2016 to award the contract of the facility to the contracting Company, God’s Mercy Construction Limited through the Estate Committee of the KATH .
Yet, relatives of patients admitted at the hospital for treatment continue to suffer as they sleep on the bare floor around the place near the facility.
A night time visit to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi proved to be quite unpleasant, as numerous individuals were seen sleeping in open areas within the hospital premises. Among these individuals were nursing mothers who resorted to sleeping on cardboards, clothes, and any other available materials. When Ghanaian Watch arrived at the hospital around 10 pm, relatives, including children, had arranged makeshift beds on the floor near the emergency center, while others occupied chairs in the vicinity. The scene was no different at the hospital’s outpatient departments, where mothers and fathers with their children were seen sleeping on the floor. Some relatives of patients awaiting sleep at the emergency center shared their experiences sleeping in such exposed conditions during an interview with Ghanaian Watch.
Madam Adwoa Pokua, a 52-year-old woman, lamented, “I brought my in-law to the hospital for treatment, and upon realizing that people have nowhere to sleep, we are now being incessantly bitten by mosquitoes. As I speak to you now, my entire body is experiencing burning sensations. Therefore, I appeal to the government to construct hostels for people like us.”
Mr. Francis Yeboah, who hails from Obuasi in the Ashanti region, shared his frustration, recounting, “My wife was admitted to deliver her baby. It is extremely distressing to witness people sleeping outside in this chilly weather while being attacked by mosquitoes. I believe the government should take action regarding this situation.”
Frank Agyei, originally from Sunyani in the Brong Region, has been sleeping outdoors near the hospital for the past five days. His pregnant wife was referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and since he has no immediate relatives in Kumasi, he chose to spend his nights within the hospital’s vicinity. He expressed, “As you can see, the situation is disheartening, and I’m already feeling ill from the mosquito bites. Both the hospital authorities and the government should address this situation promptly.”
Ghanaian Watch investigation revealed that ,the former CEO Dr. Joseph Akpaloo allegedly did not allow the contract of the construction of the facility to go through the procurement processes , including refusing to publish the details of the contract in the national dailies ,failing to call for competitive bidding and tendering as well as conducting interview among others to ratify the process.
The project , which was being executed at a faster pace under the Mahama-led administration had been suspended by the current Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital close to a year ago with a letter sighted by Ghanaian Watch Newspapaper , citing some breaches of the procurement Act .
Ghanaian Watch investigation revealed that the suspension letter on the project was written and signed by the current CEO of KATH to the Managing Director of God’s Mercy Construction Limited ,who was awarded with the said contract to stop work few months after the NPP Government took over from the the NDC government.
The suspension letter on the project sighted by Ghanaian Watch , captioned ” SUSPENSION OF WORKS -CONSTRUCTION OF PATIENTS RELATIVES HOSTEL AT KATH” dated 19th July ,2017 indicated that ” the Management of the Hospital writes to express our displeasure about your continuous presence at the site of the foregone captioned project without any delay till the pending issue regarding a formal construct for the project is resolved . Counting on your cooperation and adherence”
Thank you .
Signed by Acting. chief Executive Dr. Oheneba Owusu Danso and copied to the Hon.Minister , Ministry of Health ,Accra, Directors of KATH , Head of Estates KATH,and Internal Auditor , KATH.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of KATH ,Mr Kwame Frimpong has told the Ghanaian Watch in an interview in his office that , the facility which is being built under the Build Operate and Transfer , BOT, contract agreement at the cost of GHC 848,000 is now going through a strict scrutiny to ensure it is taken through the procurement processes to re-tender it for a fresh contract.
He stressed that the Management of the Hospital will strictly adhere to the procurement process to ensure due diligence to avoid any procurement breaches and subsequent punishment.
” We are not going to rush to go contrary to the procurement process even if it will delay the construction of the facility . It will be in our own interest to spend more time to get the processes right so as to avoid any future punishment.”
Meanwhile,various individuals from the public have voiced their opinions regarding the absence of hostel facilities for relatives taking care of their admitted loved ones at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
John Dua emphasized, “This problem is not unique to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. I believe all major hospitals in Ghana, including teaching, regional, and district hospitals, face this issue. The government should urgently allocate funds to construct hostels for the relatives of sick patients in our hospitals. It is truly dehumanizing to witness relatives sleeping on floors and benches, exposed to the weather without access to proper restroom facilities.”
Felicia Nyarko expressed her concerns about the situation, stating, “I have learned that relatives of admitted patients do not need to be at the hospital day and night, as healthcare professionals are responsible for taking care of the sick individuals. However, in our country, we understand that our system does not function like in advanced countries. She continued : When someone is admitted, relatives are expected to be present and available for errands and other tasks. Nurses may call in the relative at any time. Consider a scenario where a patient is transferred from a village clinic to a regional hospital in the capital, where the relative does not know anyone. The patient may need to stay at the hospital for over a month for treatment. Imagine the difficulties in finding a place to sleep, bathe, and wash clothes. If you have ever been admitted or accompanied someone to a hospital at night or for an extended period, you would understand the challenges faced by relatives. It is time for the government to prioritize the construction of hostels in all teaching, regional, and district hospitals across the country to address this distressing situation in our healthcare facilities.”
Brief history of the Hostel Facilities
The abandoned hostel facility when completed would take care of of patients’ families referred from the whole of the Northern sector and neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali, La Cote D’Ivoire and Togo .
Dr Joseph Akpaloo, the then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH disclosed to newsmen at a press briefing in Kumasi, that the lack of descent accommodation for relatives providing care to patients, had been a distressing to the hospital’s management.
The project which he termed as a ‘mixed development venture ‘ has been designed to have facilities for banks and other commercial entities on the ground floor , an affordable descent hostel with bunker beds for the ordinary people , would occupy the second floor ,whiles the third floor would be executive suites for the well-to-do .
It is pathetic to see patients’ relative with their luggage and babies exposed to the vagaries of the weather and mosquitoes as they sleep in the open spaces at the hospital.
The irony is that those taking care of sick relatives also get sick by the time those they are looking after get better
The situation which is creating a sanitation problems and affecting the beauty of the hospital would be a thing of the past when authorities of the hospital grant the contractor the permission to complete the project .
