First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has today 19th January , 2018 commissioned the newly constructed Mother and Baby Unit for the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
The about USD 2.5 million ultra-modern facility which has taken a record 5 months to complete was spearheaded by Mrs. Akufo-Addo and her team following Multimedia’s Seth Kwame Boateng’s “Next to die” documentary on the deplorable conditions mothers and babies attending the hospital for healthcare were going through.
During the commissioning, the First Lady said that considering the shame and outrage regarding the vulnerabilities of mothers and children who used the old facility, she is fulfilled, proud and grateful that Ghanaians from all walks of life have come together to provide “a place where our mothers and babies can receive care in dignity, with all due respect to people who give us life and to future generations.”
Mrs. Akufo-Addo expressed her “hope is that projects like this, together with needed interventions like the elimination of mother to child HIV transmission, will get us closer to achieving our maternal and infant mortality goals.”
She noted that the “facility is a world class one” and more importantly, the only green hospital in Africa certified by EDGE a group affiliated to the IFC and World Bank. She said that she “believes Ghana needs to go green in the construction of public facilities” to save money over the long term and help preserve our environment.
The First Lady also urged all to help maintain the facility to ensure it last as long as possible “for children who will be born in this facility now to come back to have their own babies in a well-functioning, well maintained facility.” She said that as per assurances she has had, she is “happy that the authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are taking this issue seriously and have initiated measures to maintain this facility.”
Mrs. Akufo-Addo further shared three lessons she has learned from her engagement in this project. First, she said as a country “we are better together and capable of solving our challenges.” She noted this project further affirms her confidence in the President’s dream of a Ghana beyond Aid adding that given our enormous natural and human resources, we are capable of developing a truly strong independent country which “sits at the negotiating table as worthy partner and from a position of strength.”
“The second lesson I learned is that Gender, tribe, religion, political affiliation, age and economic status do not matter. A people united, with a common purpose, for the common good is all that we need to develop our country. This is what struck me when Ghanaians from all walks of life came together to support this project”, the First Lady said.
Thirdly, she said she has learned that the media is a very powerful tool for national development therefore she urged the media “to take on more of the social issues that affect our people” like Seth Kwame Boateng did and get the whole country to act for the good of all.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo confirmed that under the Rebecca Foundation’s Rebecca’s Special Initiative which executed the Komfo Anokye mother and baby unit, “the next project is the construction of an intensive care unit at the children’s block of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, in February.” She entreated “all Ghanaians to help the Foundation do this.”
She expressed her gratitude to all Ghanaians and friends of Ghana like the Japanese Government. She particularly thanked the Second Lady Mrs Samira Bawumia, Asantehene Nana Osei Tutu II and Lady Julia, the Mutimedia group and Seth Kwame Boateng and the contractors, African Building Partners.
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