President Petr Pavel opens €71.5 million, Czech-built hospital in Kpone
The Czech-funded facility is expected to enhance health-care delivery significantly for residents of the Kpone Municipality
The president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, assisted by Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has inaugurated a new, 40-bed district hospital at Kpone in the Greater Accra Region.
The Czech-funded facility is expected to enhance health-care delivery significantly for residents of the Kpone Municipality.
The commissioning ceremony, held on Wednesday (9 April), brought together many dignitaries, including Nii Tetteh Otu II, the paramount chief of Kpone Traditional Area; Nii Tetteh Oglie II, chief of Nmlitsakpo; Tatse Nii Laryea Akuetteh X, chief of Katamanso; and Joseph Akuerteh Tetteh, the MP for Kpone-Katamanso.
Also present were officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service and the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council.
The project was made possible with funding totalling €71.5 million, secured from Erste Group Bank AG and Česká Spořitelna AS, with an export credit guarantee of €8.6 million provided by EGAP, the Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation of the Czech Republic.
Built by VAMED Health Projects CZ SRO, the Kpone District Hospital is one element of a broader initiativess launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Health to while 12 new health facilities.
These include hospitals in Jumapo, Nkwatia, Kwabeng, Achiase and Adukrom in the Eastern Region; Suame, Drobonso, Sabronum, Manso Nkwanta and Twedie in the Ashanti Region; and Mim in the Ahafo Region.
Comprehensive care
According to the Ministry of Health, five hospitals in the Eastern Region have already been handed over, while completed facilities in the Ashanti and Ahafo Regions are also expected to become operational soon.
The newly commissioned Kpone Municipal Hospital is a modern, well-equipped health-care facility, comprising an outpatient department with a public health wing, a surgical suite with an operating theatre, recovery ward and sterilisation unit, a delivery unit, neonatal intensive-care unit, laboratory, pharmacy and X-ray units, 40-bed inpatient wards for male, female and paediatric cases, a services block with a laundry, stores and a cold room, staff offices and on-site accommodation.
Set-up of the facility also includes supply and installation of modern medical equipment, a one-year post-completion maintenance plan and staff training to enhance service delivery.
Equitable access
President Pavel expressed joy at the inauguration, describing the hospital as a vital contribution to humanity.
“I could not imagine anything more universally good than opening a hospital that would serve people in need,” President Pavel said. He urged the staff to “work hard and offer every person the best of care”.
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, highlighted the project as a continuation of efforts initiated during President John Mahama’s first term in office (2013-17) to increase access to quality health care.
“The Kpone Municipal Hospital is one of 12 hospitals constructed and equipped under the previous government and a continuation of President Mahama’s first-term initiative of increasing access to quality health care,” Akandoh declared.
He criticised the politicisation of health infrastructure, saying, “Our vision is to operationalise all commissioned hospitals to allow all communities to enjoy equitable access to quality health care.”
The minister also introduced the government’s Free Primary Health Care initiative, aimed at removing financial barriers to medical services.
“These investments demonstrate our government’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and advancing universal health coverage,” the minister said.
Akandoh noted significant progress in Ghana’s health indicators, revealing that maternal mortality had decreased from 580 per 100,000 live births in 2007 to 310 per 100,000 in 2017. Likewise, under-five mortality improved from 111 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 56 per 1,000 in 2017.
“Yet, we recognise that much remains to be done. This government remains steadfast in its efforts to expand access, improve quality and reduce inequities in health service delivery,” he said.
The minister also called on staff and local leaders to ensure proper maintenance and effective use of the facility.
Boosting the local economy
Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the acting director general of the Ghana Health Service, said the facility would help save lives in emergencies and act as a disaster response centre.
It will also serve as a source of employment for workers, both skilled and unskilled, while stimulating economic activity in surrounding communities.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, described the hospital as a vital addition to the region’s health infrastructure.
“The inauguration of this facility marks a significant milestone not only for the people of Kpone but for the entire region, as it enhances access to quality health-care delivery,” she said.
