President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commended First lady Rebecca for initiating the construction of a new mother and baby unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

On Friday, 19 January, Mrs Akufo-Addo inaugurated the newly-constructed facility.

The new facility has room for 130 babies, eleven children and enough facilities to accommodate 12 simultaneous births.

Mrs Akufo-Addo took special interest in the facility when it was revealed that hundreds of babies and mothers died each year at the unit because of lack of space and facilities.

To stem the tide, she organised a fundraising exercise to help construct a new facility at the hospital.

Inaugurating the facility in Kumasi on Friday, 19 January 2018, she said “This facility, we are commissioning today, is a world-class one, more importantly for me is the fact that it’s the only green hospital in Africa certified by IFC and the World Bank. I emphasise this point because I believe that Ghana needs to go green in its construction of public facilities. This will save us money over the long term and help preserve our environment.”

President Akufo-Addo, commenting on the project on his Facebook page, said: “I am extremely proud of my beloved Rebecca. Today’s commissioning of the Mother and Baby Unit at KATH is a welcome development, which will help reduce, drastically, the mortality rate of mothers and babies at the hospital. Kudos!! #SaveAChildSaveAMother.”