...at hospital premises from January 1, 2006 Accra Dec. 21, GNA - Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, on Wednesday announced that there would be a ban on the sale of sachet water on the premises of the Hospital effective January 1 2006. He said the measure is to reduce littering by clients and visitors, who come to the Hospital to ensure a clean environment. Prof Frimpong Boateng made the announcement at a press soir=E9e to brief the press on the activities of the Hospital during the year. He said littering was a major problem at the Hospital and despite efforts by the Management to stop the act people still littered the compound.

"We have placed litter bins at vantage points within the Hospital premises yet people prefer to throw rubbish on the ground and the sachet water rubbers generate the most rubbish," he said. He said the Hospital had provided water filters in all the wards to enable patients and visitors to the place to get access to good water. Other challenges the Hospital faced were the congestion at the wards, which he said was especially seen at the Child Health Department. He mentioned inadequate houses, transportation for staff living outside the Hospital premises and power fluctuations as major challenges and said the Management was working to improve on the situation. Prof. Frimpong Boateng expressed concern about the squatters on the Hospital's land but said with the building of the wall the situation had improved.

He said in the coming year the Management would organize training programmes for staff as well as increase the number of medical equipment.

Prof Frimpong Boateng said the ground floor of the Child Health Department would be converted into consulting rooms and emergency units and would also house the resting rooms for doctors and midwives. He said the Hospital despite the challenges was the best hospital in terms of medical care.

It is the third largest in West Africa, he said, it has a bed capacity of 17,000 and has 4,000 staff.

"Great institutions are difficult to build, easy to destroy and impossible to restore" he said as a word of advice to the staff. The Korle-Bu Teaching hospital was established in 1924.