The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has presented a cheque for one million dollars to the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, for the completion of its ultra-modern three-storey building.

To this effect an escrow account has been established by GNPC for the Hospital, dedicated solely for the project which would be for the completion of the building.

The project would feature: intensive care unit (ICU), high dependency unit, laboratory, physiotherapy gym, leg ulcer clinic, modern fully-equipped consulting rooms, laundry and sterilization unit.

The rest are a state of the art theatres, amenity wards, conference rooms, modern information technology infrastructure with telemedicine and teleconferencing facilities, offices and modern medical records management systems.

By this intervention, the rate of survival of burns patients in the country is expected to increase from below 40 per cent to 80 per cent, as it is the situation in other developed countries with such facilities.

Mr Alex Kofi-Mensah Mould, the Chief Executive Officer, GNPC, in his remarks during the presentation on Thursday in Accra, said the Corporation is out to help all facets of the economy including health and education to ensure sustainable growth.

He said GNPC is not only into the areas of sports and that during the Ebola crisis, which engulfed some countries in the West Africa sub-region, the Corporation made a donation of two million dollars towards the nation’s preparedness to combat any outbreak.

He observed that it is high time that the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital which is the nation’s premier hospital is able to stand on its feet.

He said GNPC would support the Centre to provide postgraduate courses in burns and plastic reconstruction so that more medical personnel could be trained locally.

He said the GNPC Oil and Gas Learning Foundation was established to provide scholarships to help train professionals from all areas of the economy at the postgraduate level, and staff of the Centre would take advantage of to upgrade themselves.

This special gesture by GNPC to the Centre comes on the heels of a Ghana News Agency Publication of November 8, in which Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, the Director, National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, appealed to corporate bodies and philanthropists for support for the centre’s new ICU building complex.

An elated Dr Ampomah expressed gratitude to the GNPC for coming to the aide of the Hospital.

He announced that an amenity ward would be set aside for any staff of GNPC on admission in the Korle Teaching Hospital to use.

He gave an overview of the Centre’s activities since its establishment in May 1997, stating that when the new facility becomes fully operational, it would enable the medical staff to deliver better and excellent services to Ghana and the sub-region at large.

Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, Deputy Minister of Health, lauded GNPC for being supportive in assisting government to provide better facilities in the health sector.

He said the two million dollar contribution by the GPNC towards the Ebola preparedness had made Ghana to become 64 per cent ready for any Ebola outbreak.

The Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre is a 68- bed capacity unit inaugurated in May 1997.

It is the only Centre of its kind and status in the West Africa Sub-region and it receives patients from Ghana and the sub-region.