The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the nation’s second largest referral facility has signaled a new direction with the decision to run specialist medical clinic services in some identified hospitals across the Kumasi Metropolis.

The goal is to efficiently manage complicated cases that would otherwise have been referred to the hospital, to help reduce congestion.

Dr. Joseph Akpaloo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said senior physician specialists would be on hand to provide critical services in those facilities.

Speaking at a mid-year performance review meeting in Kumasi, he said the intervention was a collaboration between the hospital and the Health Ministry.

He complained about what he said was the “extremely difficult” environment, under which the hospital was operating, citing frequent breakdown of diagnostic equipment, irregular supply of regents and other problems.

Dr. Akpaloo said currently, the obsolete plant for in-house production of oxygen was operating below capacity, forcing it to use a huge proportion of the limited financial resources to meet its oxygen requirements from private sources.

He therefore renewed the appeal to the Health Ministry for the installation of a new and bigger oxygen plant to make it easier to provide emergency care to save lives.

He expressed the determination of the management to explore public private partnership arrangements to provide some needed critical facilities.

The hospital has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with “D Med Healthcare” for the supply of five new dialysis machines on concessionary terms.

Again, work had begun on the construction of a 134-bed hostel at a cost of Gh?848,000 to provide relatives of visiting patients with comfortable and safe accommodation.

He also spoke of plans to acquire additional “CT Scan” machines and laboratory equipment.

Dr. Akpaloo commended the staff for the hard work and support and said no effort would be spared to motivate and deepen their involvement, as well as helping to improve performance.