Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital also known as GEE for it heavy equipments (KATH) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana, is the second-largest hospital in Ghana,[2] and the only tertiary health institution in the Ashanti Region.

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
Ministry of Health
The entrance of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Geography
LocationKumasi, Kumasi Metropolis, Ashanti Region, Ghana
Coordinates6.697479°N 1.631690°W / 6.697479; -1.631690
Organisation
Care systemGhana Health Service / NHIS Accredited
TypeTeaching
Affiliated universityKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Medical Sciences
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds1000[1]
History
Opened1954
Links
Websitewww.kathhsp.org
ListsHospitals in Ghana

History

It was the main referral hospital for the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and northern regions of Ghana until then Tamale Regional Hospital was upgraded to Teaching hospital hence handling referrals from Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions thereby easing some pressure on it.[3][4]

The hospital was built in 1954,[2] as the Kumasi Central Hospital. It was later named Komfo Anokye Hospital after Okomfo Anokye, a legendary fetish priest of the Ashanti.[1] It is said that Anokye placed an unmovable sword in the middle of the Ashanti empire. Many have tried and failed to remove the sword. In 1996, the Okomfo Anokye Sword Site was built around the sword on the grounds of the hospital.[5]

The hospital was converted into a teaching hospital in 1975 affiliated to the medical school of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.[6] The hospital is also accredited for postgraduate training by the West African College of Surgeons in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, otorhinolaryingology, ophthalmology and radiology.[7] The hospital currently has about 1000 beds,[1] up from the initial 500 when first built.

The latest building added to Komfo Anokye Hospital was the National Accident and Emergency Centre.

In October 2019, the first surgery on a heart at the hospital without making an incision was performed successfully.[8]

In November 2019, the hospital received four awards at the 2019 Ghana Procurement and Supply Chain Awards. The awards were in Excellence in Procurement and Supply Chain (silver category), Public Procurement and Supply Chain Compliance (silver category), Procurement and Supply Chain Team of the year (Bronze category).[9]

Directorates

The hospital has clinical and non-clinical directorates.

Physicians at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Exterior and Entrance of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)

The clinical directorates include:

The non-clinical directorates include:

  • Domestic Services
  • Security
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Technical Services

National Accident and Emergency Centre

The constructions of the National Accident and Emergency Centre started in 2004 and were completed in 2008. The whole project was carried out by Hospital Engineering GmbH and GerTech GmbH from Germany. The project was done as a Turn-Key Project, including planning, designing, project development, construction works and implementation as well as provision and installation of medical and technical equipment.

The following departments exist:

Building of KATH
  • Laundry
  • Central Stores
  • Mortuary
  • Medical Gas Bottles Store
  • Blood Bank
  • Blood Donor Services
  • Haematology
  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Parasitology
  • Observation Wards
  • Resuscitation Area
  • Pharmacy
  • First Aid Bays
  • Radiology
  • ICU
  • Wards
  • CSSD
  • Operating Theatre Department
  • Burns Unit
  • Administration

A specific feature of the National Accident and Emergency Centre is an ultramodern facility for Forensic Medicine.

Missing baby scandal

On February 5, 2014 Suwaiba Abdul Mumin was admitted to the hospital for the birth of her baby. She was informed that the baby was stillborn and when she asked to see the body, she was told it could not be found.[10] The bodies of four other children pronounced stillborn by the hospital that day were also missing.[11] The suspicious "vanishing of babies" made headlines with some suggesting an ongoing illegal baby selling business by midwives and hospital authorities. Seven people were charged but given bail on February 27, 2014. Minister of Health Sherry Ayitey placed the doctor and midwife, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, on indefinite leave.[10][11][12][13]She went ahead to propose a Ghc 50,000 compensation which was rejected by the Suweiba and her family who still maintain that the baby is alive.[14]

Notes
  1. "Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital-About Us". Official Website. Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. Govindaraj, Ramesh; A.A.D. Obuobi; N.K.A. Enyimayew; P. Antwi; S. Ofosu-Amaah (August 1996). "Hospital Autonomy(GEE) in Ghana: The Experience of Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals" (PDF). Data for Decision Making Project. School of Public Health, University of Ghana and Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  3. "Tamale Teaching Hospital leads in endoscopy services". Ghana News Agency. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  4. "Doctors, nurses and babies suffocate from excessive heat at Tamale Teaching Hospital". myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  5. "The Sword That Can't Be Moved – Africa Dispatch". nyujournalismprojects.org. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. "College of Health Sciences:Faculty of Medicine". Official Website. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  7. "List of Accredited Institutions for Training". Official Website. West African College of Surgeons. Archived from the original on 22 May 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  8. "KATH Makes History As Ghanaian Doctors Perform Heart Surgery Without A Cut". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  9. 122108447901948 (2019-11-06). "KATH wins four procurement awards". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2019-11-07.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. Yushaw, Ismail (19 February 2014). "The Truth concerning the stolen Baby at KATH". Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  11. "Ghana hospital given 14 days to find 'missing babies'". BBC News. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  12. "Gma Must Stop The Blackmail - Felix Kwakye Ofosu". wn.com. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  13. "KATH CEO asked to proceed on leave". Ghana News Agency. Tv3 News. March 26, 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  14. Efua Idan Osam (May 8, 2014). "Kath Missing baby: Suweiba rejects GHC 50,000 compensation". Citifmonline. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
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