Kumasi, Aug. 2, GNA – Authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have expressed concern about the continued delay in the completion of a maternity and children’s block, started 37 years ago.

The twin project is still under construction and there is no sign that it would be finished any time soon.

This has resulted in severe congestion at the existing maternity and children’s wards a situation which is said to be contributing to high maternal and child mortality rate at the hospital.

Professor Ohene Adjei, the Chief Executive, said the management and staff were uncomfortable about seeing mothers and children die because of the lack of space to allow for prompt and efficient services at the wards.

He said this when opening a three day mid-year review conference of the hospital in Kumasi.

He said the maternal mortality rate of the hospital at the end of 2010 stood at 7.91 per 1,000 live births.

Prof Adjei said the old GEE blocks, the hospital’s infrastructure backbone, had since their construction in 1955 never seen any renovation and there is also the problem of obsolete equipment that needs to be replaced.

He said for the hospital to effectively deliver on its mandate it was important to put in more investment to improve its infrastructure.

He said the hospital had spent a total of GH¢5 million of its internally generated funds to procure new medical equipment to replace some of the ageing ones in the first half of the year.