IN PURSUIT of its vowed objective to become a Centre of Excellence by September 2008, the management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has worked to achieve 79% of its strategic plan over the years.

Since 2001 when the CEO, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare assumed office his vision has been to turn KATH into a Centre of Excellence by 2008 through strategic objectives.

Towards this end, it has been his priority to introduce new state of the art equipment as a pre-requisite for the achievement of the management's vision of attaining the status of a Centre of Excellence.

As a result, the management adopted strategies and activities over the four-year period from 2004-2008 during which 90 activities were to be carried out.

As at December last year, 37 activities representing 79% of activities outlined for the period were completed.

According to a summary of progress report on the strategic plan issued by the PR unit of KATH, a cardiology clinic, breast care centre and a neurology centre as well as Cleft/Craniofacial clinic, HIV/AIDS clinic, Haematology clinic and a radiotherapy centre had been completed within the period to increase access to a range of specialist services at the hospital.

To improve emergency care services, KATH has set up medical and paediatric emergency unit while the construction and equipment of a new 300 patient capacity National Accident and Emergency Centre at the cost of 55 million Euros is 70% complete.

The Accident centre would be ready early next year to bring a whole transformation to the hospital.

The hospital has also set up pharmacies in all clinical directorates to improve on availability of medicines as well as increase access to pharmaceutical services for which the hospital is training prescribers to rationalize the use of drugs.

The pharmacy department of KATH has made a breakthrough with the production of essential drugs including Digostin, Proguanil, Neostigmine, Salbutamol, Nebulizing Morphine Oral Solution, Sodium Bicarbonate injections and Magnesium Sulphate injections among others.

As a result, an increasing number of health institutions in the country are now turning to KATH for their supplies following this major breakthrough.

Currently, KATH is supplying Korle Bu Teaching Hospital with Sodium Bicarbonate and Magnesium sulphate injections following a formal request from management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

A bottle of morphine solution produced by the department of Pharmacy at KATH cost only ¢50,000 while those on the open market cost ¢90,000.Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Chief executive Officer of KATH disclosed.

The management of KATH intends to support the Pharmacy department in the course of the year to modernize and expand its production facilities to enable it produce other difficult to source drugs like Parenteral Nutrition and intravenous infusions for local consumption as well as satisfy the needs of other health institutions in the country.

KATH has as well worked to ensure improved diagnostic services by selling up a CT Scan and Endoscopy units.

It has since 2004 established a Human resource management unit and developed a HR policy under which staff promotion has been localized while schemes like Provident Fund and provision of staff accommodation have been developed to retain.

As a result, the hospital has supported 46 out of targeted 60 doctors, 65 nurses and 15 pharmacists in specialized areas. The hospital invested a total of ¢4.5 billion with ¢1 billion coming from its Internal Generated Funds (IGF) in 2005. Last year KATH contributed ¢2.2 billion towards staff training estimated to cost ¢4 billion.

A new mortuary and a pathology block have been completed while the construction of doctors' flats currently 85% through would be completed by 2008. The Polyclinic has also been rehabilitated in 2006.

The hospital is almost ready to introduce invitro fertilization (assisted Pregnancy) in 2008 to aid infertile patients to deliver their own babies. KATH would set up of a Fertility Centre in 2008 would help bring the smiles back on the faces of patients with fertility problems.

In its bid to introduce it, KATH sent two of its Obstetrician Gyaenacologists to a "fertility Up-date workshop" in Nigeria, so that whatever is acquired at the workshop is introduced or replicated at KATH.

According to the CEO Nsiah-Asare, all essential equipments needed would be available in 2008 when invitro fertilization becomes operational.

There has also been a major re-equipping of the hospital partly through the Stericon (Germany).

KATH as well received equipment valued at $4 million from General Electric (GE) Company of USA which included a new X-ray and Fluoroscopy Units and networking and computerization of the X-ray department and parts of the hospital and nurse call systems among other medical equipment.

The hospital also took delivery of equipment under a $5 million Spanish Protocol package to improve the equipment stock of the hospital.

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which was recording ¢400 million as revenue monthly rose to ¢3 billion a month.

The computerization and networking of the hospital is almost completed making KATH the first hospital in the sub-region to practice tele-medicine.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nsiah-Asare has indicated that the hospital would launch the second phase of its vision towards sustenance of standards by September next year when it has fully realized its mandate to provide tertiary advanced specialist clinical care, research and training of undergraduate and post graduate health professionals.