Kumasi, Feb.21, GNA- Plans are advanced for the opening of an emergency nursing training school at the newly constructed Accident and Emergency Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi. The KATH authorities are holding discussions with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons to start the training of emergency medicine and critical care physicians from the membership to the fellowship levels at the centre, scheduled to start operations by June, this year.

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Chief Executive of KATH, who announced this, said management of the hospital intended to make the centre, a leading facility for quality care in accident, emergency and disaster management training and research in the West African sub-region.

He was speaking at the opening of the 2007 Annual Performance Review meeting of the hospital in Kumasi on Thursday.

Dr Nsaih-Asare said the management planned to use the Centre to kick start its next vision of making the hospital a leading medical tourism destination in sub region.

He said the next strategic plan of the hospital which would take off in 2009, would involve the construction of stand-alone urology, eye, plastic reconstructive surgery and paediatric cardiothoracic and cardio centres to bring to fruition the medical tourism dream. The Chief Executive said the hospital continued to maintain its position as a dominant provider of specialized health care services by investing heavily in its human resource capital base, strengthening the research and development unit, by expanding its range of services and continuing its aggressive infrastructure development programmes.

Dr Nsiah-Asare said the hospital last year spent 615,000 Ghana cedis on fellowships, in-service and other local training programmes for staff.

He stated that over 20 medical staff sponsored by the hospital for specialist courses had successfully completed their programmes and would join the hospital by the last quarter of the year.

Dr Nsiah-Asare said the heavy investment made over the last seven years in human resource development in line with the hospital's 2004-2008 strategic plan, was beginning to bear fruits.

On infrastructure development, the Chief Executive said a block of 49 flats being constructed for resident doctors and a new ultra modern pathology centre with a 200 body mortuary had been completed. Dr Nsiah-Asare said this year, renovation works of the specialist consulting rooms, the substantial completion of the children and maternity blocks and the renovation on the old "Gee" blocks would be undertaken.

He said with the huge investment in both human and material resources at the hospital, the staff had no excuse to under perform. Dr Nsiah-Asare said all heads of directorates and units at the hospital would be made to sign a performance contract this year to ensure that, they achieved the targets set for themselves.