The Ministry of Health (MOH), under its national medical equipment replacement programme, on Monday presented medical equipment worth 165,000 dollars to the 37 Military Hospital, in Accra.

The equipment includes six electronic beds for the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) each costing 5,000 dollars and a mobile digital X-ray machine, worth 135,000 dollars.

Dr Nicodemus Gerber, Head of the Biomedical Engineering Unit of the MOH, presented the equipment on behalf of the Minister of Health, Madam Sherry Ayittey.

Dr Gerber said the donation followed a needs assessment of selected hospitals, including the 37 Military Hospital, Police Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and other regional and district hospital all over the country.

He said the hospitals presented a list of equipment in respect with the Out Patient Department, theatres, wards and ICUs to the Ministry to enable it replace obsolete equipment at these hospitals.

Dr Gerber explained that other quasi-hospitals and, especially the Military and Police Hospitals play major roles in health care delivery in the country, especially when there were emergency situations like doctors going on strike action.

He said the overall equipment replacement exercise was a five-year project that would cost 267 million dollars, which started in August last year.

It was also aimed at providing life supporting systems and complex and sensitive equipment to the hospitals.

Colonel Ralph Kodwo Ametepi, Commander of 37 Military Hospital, said the provision of the equipment would help the hospital to deliver quality care to patients with special medical conditions.