Construction work of the GHC4.2 million MTN Ghana funded maternity ward building project for the Tema General Hospital is progressing steadily, just a few months after commissioning.
This came to light when senior officials of Brushwell Associates Limited, constructor of the project conducted MTN Ghana Foundation delegation led by Mrs Cynthia Lumor, Executive Director of the Foundation, and authorities of the hospital to inspect progress of work.
Architect Nathan Ansah of Multicad, consulting architects of the 40-bed maternity ward building project, said the project was 43 percent complete and assured MTN Ghana Foundation that they would meet the project’s September 2017 completion deadline.
Workers were seen busily working at the time of the inspection tour today.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection of the project Mrs Lumor said: “Although the project is yet to be completed, I am very happy with the work we are doing here knowing that very soon pregnant women who visit this facility will no longer go through a lot of struggle to be accommodated”.
The Tema General Hospital is the third largest hospital after Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye teaching hospitals in Ghana with regards to deliveries and in 2015 alone the hospital delivered 7,000 babies. It has been reported that over 12,000 pregnant women visit the hospital annually and this is why the current 10-bed maternity ward facility is not able to cater for the increasing number of patients who visit the hospital.
That is why the MTN Ghana Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CRS) arm of MTN Ghana, the leading telecoms service provider in the country selected the hospital’s maternity block project as one of the company’s 20th anniversary legacy projects.
Mrs Lumor who is also the Corporate Service Executive of MTN Ghana explained: “MTN Ghana Foundation’s decision to build the maternity block for the Tema General Hospital was a result of a media report that highlighted the struggle faced by institutions like Tema General Hospital trying to raise funds to complete lifesaving projects like this one”.
To this end, a proposal was then submitted to the MTN Ghana Foundation board for consideration, she stated.
“So here we are today. MTN Ghana Foundation is providing GHC4.2 million for the construction of the 40-bed maternity block for this hospital. This significant investment in a single facility confirms the importance we ascribe to maternity health” in the country.
The maternity block when completed will have a 20-bed first stage ward, a 20-bed lying-in ward, a theatre, 7-bed monitoring /recovery ward, consulting rooms, sluice rooms, among others.
Mrs Lumor was optimistic that the maternity block when completed would bring relief to many expectant mothers in the metropolis.
Dr Kwabena Opoku Adusei, Tema General Hospital Director added the project would help reduce maternity health cases in the Tema metropolis. He used the opportunity to thank the MTN Ghana Foundation for coming to the aid of the hospital.
African Eye Report
