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In order to raise US$10 million for the rehabilitation of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has formally launched an initiative.
On Friday, November 10, 2023, the King himself, as well as traditional leaders, market women, lawmakers, attorneys, actors and actresses, corporate organizations, religious organizations, and others, attended the event at the hospital.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, praised Otumfuo for the project and stated that although the restoration had been planned for the past 50 years by the hospital board, funding constraints forced it to be delayed.
He emphasized that the structure is no longer suitable for the delivery of modern healthcare services due to years of excessive use and the resulting wear and tear.
He stated that the building has never received renovations and that the “plumbing, electrical wires, windows, roofing, washrooms and all ancillary facilities have for years now deteriorated beyond maintenance.”
Mr. Samuel Adu Boakye, the project chairman, called for stakeholders to join the facelift that the king had started, calling it a daring mission that embodies the Asante Kingdom.
“Our mission is to join great forces to rehabilitate, revitalise, to heal Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the largest and most critical healthcare facility serving our dear Asanteman and 12 other regions in Ghana and also some neighbouring countries” he said.
“Komfo Anokye has been the healing point for every soul within this part of Ghana. Today, Komfo Anokye is sick. Let us all contribute to running behind our great long and healing Komfo Anokye. As we gather here today, I implore all to consider the gravity of this situation to acknowledge the significance of collective responsibility. The Heal Komfo initiative is not a project, it is a testament to our unity, to our strength and our determination to secure a healthier, more prosperous future not just for the people of Asanteman but for Ghana as a whole” he added.
Fidelity Bank Ghana, the project’s financial partner, expressed its happiness at being the fortunate one.
Julian Opuni, the bank’s managing director, announced that the bank will remodel one floor as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
In the meantime, Nana Effah Apenteng, the Chairman of the Hospital’s Board of Directors, promised responsibility and openness in the way the money was used.
His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who was speaking at the ceremony, called the hospital’s current situation disgraceful and emphasized the pressing need to gather money to repair the nearly 70-year-old structure.
He revealed that he personally inspected the hospital twice, both at midnight, to determine the extent of its deterioration. He then gave the task of developing a financial proposal for the renovations to Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, the hospital’s chief executive officer, and a few other executives.
“I’ve been there twice all at midnight to inspect the hospital. I saw the sorry state it sits in…Why should the hospital suffer this fate if Komfo Anokye himself never got ill? So I promised to amass help for this project.”
“12 of 16 regions have their patients referred here. Patients get drenched when it rains and the exposed wires can cause fire outbreaks when rainwater comes into contact with the wires. Even the new Emergency Ward is in dire need of renovation. We will be brought to this hospital when the need arises and so there is a need to work it out.”
According to him, the project cannot wait for any government since many governments reigned and ended their tenure without any particular attention to the hospital.
“Governments come and go but the building remains and it is up to us to renovate it. It shouldn’t therefore be politicised.Though the amount is huge, if each household on this land decided to contribute each month, we would go a long way to heal the hospital.”
In his speech, Prof Addai-Mensah recounted, “As oral history tells us, one Friday-Fofie- in 1695, history was made on this very ground when the foremost high priest of Asanteman, Okofo Anokye led the chiefs of 11 Asante States to undertake a series of customary rites and rituals that culminated in the birth of the Asante Kingdom with King Osei Tutu I as the first Asantehene. One of the most significant artifacts of the momentous occasion was the Komfo Anokye Sword which is buried over here.
“As history tells us, the number of bold declarations that Okomfo Anokye made on a historic day was that this place where the sword is buried will eternally be the place of births, rebirths, healing and unity. It was therefore not for nothing that 250 years later when it became expedient in the 1950s Kumasi and for the matter the northern hub of the country needed a hospital to cater for health needs and the burden of the population at that time, the colonial government awarded to a contract…to put up the magnificent hospital on this grounds.”
To make a contribution to an account with Fidelity Bank, you have three options: a check, Mobile Money (MoMo), or a short code.
Contributors can MOMO their contribution to 0544195525 with the Merchant ID195525, or they can use the *77*1955# option for the shortcode mode.
Donations may also be made to the dollar account 1951302340017 or the Cedi account 2400302340016.
Under the name “Heal Komfo Anokye,” all of these payment methods operate. In the meantime, scammers who might take advantage of the project have been warned to be cautious by the public.
Individuals, elected officials, businesses, and religious organizations all made contributions to the project during the occasion.
Prophet John Steven Wesley Kofi Amponsah, Founder and leader of House of Ezra Worldwide Ministries donated GHC3,000,000; CEO of UNIJAY Company donated GHC1,000,000; Kumasi Traditional Council also gave out GHC1,000,000, a coalition of Market Associations in Kumasi gave GHC50,000, Presbyterian Church donated GHC10,000 while Goil offered GHC200,000.
Justmoh Construction has undertaken the task of restoring a hospital block, while Western Pharmacy will be responsible for rebuilding a hospital floor.
The Ashanti Region’s actors and actresses promised to freely provide their platforms, faces, and influence to further the good cause.
It was communicated that individuals who meet specific donation levels would have their names written on a wall in the Orange Ward, while others would see their names projected in fountains that will be raised at the hospital’s two entrances.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
