Accra, Dec. 5, GNA - Refurbishment of the labour ward on the second floor of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital's maternity block would be completed in January to afford pregnant women the privilege of having their partners around when giving birth to their children. The refurbishment being undertaken by MTN under its Ghana Foundation Project started in August at a cost of 600,000 dollars. During a tour of the facility at the Hospital by officials of MTN headed by Mr. Paul Boateng, UK's High Commissioner to South Africa and a Patron of the Foundation and management of the Hospital on Thursday, it was revealed that about 80 per cent of the refurbishment had already been done with.

Ms. Mawuena Dumor, Executive Director of the Foundation, said the project was in response to a request by the women caucus of Parliament to MTN to refurbish the ward.

She said management of MTN after a careful consideration thought it wise to embark on the project to help enhance maternal health care delivery.

Ms. Dumor explained that the refurbishment package also included the provision of medical equipment particularly for theatre tables, among others.

She expressed the hope that the project would be handed over to the hospital authorities in January 2009 as scheduled. Mr. Boateng said the motive behind the project was to encourage multinational partnership with the Ghana government to improve the health and educational services in the country through the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT). He acknowledged the important role that the hospital played in health delivery stressing that mother and child care were was of the major interventions of health delivery and components of the Millennium Development Goals.

"That is why MTN's efforts in refurbishing the labour ward are a good gesture and a sign of great benefit of partnership between corporate entities and the state," Mr. Boateng added.

Dr. Ben Annan, Acting Chief Administrator of the Hospital, described the project as very dear to management since it would help provide women in labour some privacy. He, however, appealed to MTN to consider providing the second floor with a new lift since the current one broke down often as well as the company to tile the walls of the delivery ward to make cleaning easy. Prof. Yao Kwawukume, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Department of the Hospital, who took the officials around, expressed happiness about the project, saying it would really bring relief to both pregnant women and health workers who attend to them. Meanwhile, the neo-natal unit on the third floor that was closed about a month ago due to infections would be opened next week to enable pre-mature babies to be incubated accordingly. 5 Dec. 08