Accra, June 29, GNA - The First Lady, Ernestina Naadu Mills on Tuesd ay called for intensified efforts to improve the health needs of women who sacrificed a lot during their lifetime and contribute to the country's economy. "The least we can do to appreciate their services is to provide facilities for them to deliver safely and provide for adequate management of diseases peculiar to women such as cancer of the cervix, breast and fibroids," she said.

Mrs Naadu-Mills was inaugurating four projects at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra to improve on its service delivery. The projects were a Reproductive Health Centre; Tower Block of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre; Cell Biology Laboratory and Rehabilitated Medical Block.

The centre of excellence in reproductive health issues would enable the hospital provide advanced reproductive care in a dignified environment to

women. It was financed by an anonymous US-donor through the Population Coun cil of Ghana, an international health and reproductive non-governmental organisation (NGO). The first phase of the centre was estimated at about 500,000 dollars

out of which the NGO provided 400,000 dollars and the rest of the funding

came from the hospital's internally generated funds. The reconstructive centre was financed by Government of Ghana at GH¢1,000,000. It is a four-storey with office and a block referred to as the tower

block with additional wards, office and space to decongest the existing building.

The third project, the one million-dollar laboratory, popularly call ed the DNA laboratory, would offer diagnostic and forensic services in addit ion to research into various genetic disease conditions. It was established through collaborative efforts between management of the hospital and management of Goodman Impex with financial assistance fr om Prudential Bank. The GH¢22-million government refurbished medical block ends a long saga which began in 2000 when patients were moved out of the third and fourth floors.

Mrs Naadu-Mills appealed for support to establish a befitting Gynaecology Centre of Excellence where women who needed specialised care could be referred to for treatment.

"This is a legacy we must leave not for ourselves but for women of Ghana," she added. The First Lady expressed concern about the deplorable conditions un der which children with emergency health problems were treated and the workin g condition of medical staff. She said tasked the Minister of Health as a matter of urgency to secure funds to reconstruct the unit and called on corporate bodies to assist in raising the needed GH¢11 million for the project. Mrs Naadu-Mills commended President Rawlings' administration for th e development of the reconstructive plastic surgery and burns unit establis h and expressed joy at the inauguration of the new infrastructure. She thanked a daughter of Shapoorji Pallonji Family of India, who i n response to an appeal made by the First Lady, committed part of her birth day gift to the buying and shipping from India 3,000 pieces of blankets for t he Korle-Bu Hospital Teaching Hospital. She said that the blankets would be distributed among other hospita ls in the country.

These are; Korle Bu Hospital 450 pieces, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital 350 pieces, Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital 200 pieces and Rid ge Hospital in Accra 50 pieces. The rest are; Ahmadiyya Hospital 100 pieces, Christian Hospitals Association of Ghana 200 pieces, and 200 pieces each to the major hospita ls in the Northern, Upper East and West, Western, Brong-Ahafo, Central and Volta Regions. Other beneficiaries are; Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital 50 pieces, Weija Leprosarium and Ankaful Leprosarium 100 pieces, Accra and Pantang Psychiatric Hospitals 100 pieces.

Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor said government had resolved to upgrade facilities and replace obsolete equipment at the Korle-Bu. He commended the hospital authorities for single-handedly financing the first ever DNA facility in Ghana from its internally generated funds. Dr. Kunbuor also praised the Population Council for its contribution to the development of the hospital and the staff for working hard even under

deplorable condition until the inauguration of the projects. He asked management of the hospital to regularly ensure maintenance of the facilities. The Minister said the National Health Insurance Scheme was confront ed by the introduction of a centralised claims management system to reduce delays in payment of claims. Professor Nii Otu Nartey, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, announced that the old lifts at the hospital were being replaced. He said that a 300-gallon water tanker was also to be handed over to

the management soon. Prof. Nartey said that efforts were being made to drill boreholes fo r the hospital after completion of the on-going survey works. Prof. Nartey commended the Ministry of Health for releasing GH¢2.4

million to procure new lifts.

He appealed to the Ministry to request the NHIA to release approved funds for the child emergency centre and reimbursement of unpaid claims amounting to GH¢2.4 million. Prof. Ayittey, Chairman of Board of Directors of the hospital, said that an open day would be organised next month for the media on developme nt and plans of the hospital. 29 June 10