The 20- bed emergency facility will help improve healthcare delivery within the environs of the hospital. The facility is fully fitted with separate wards for both male and female, a paediatric unit, a pharmacy, doctor and nurse rest room and an accounts office.

It is, additionally, furnished with emergency kits such as 13 oxygen concentrators, nine UV trolleys, 28 boxes of protective overalls and 1420 surgical gowns, among other medical equipment.

The gesture by the foundation is part of its efforts to provide the best health care experience for both patients and healthcare personnel within the vicinity.

New block

At a ceremony to inaugurate the new block in Accra last Thursday, the Executive Chairman of the Lindsay Foundation, James Orleans-Lindsay, indicated that the country was currently faced with the challenge of inadequate health structures as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He, therefore, underscored the need for sustained collaboration between the government and the private sector to provide adequate health infrastructure for all.

Emergency block

According to him, the idea to construct the emergency block was conceived when the foundation renovated and inaugurated the maternity ward of the hospital last year December.

He explained that the eight-month project, which was built in honour of the patriarch of the foundation, Joel Orleans, was a redeemed promise of the foundation to contribute their quota to the national agenda of providing quality health care as they saw the growing need for the hospital to acquire a new emergency block.

Mr Lindsay revealed that the foundation was additionally working to build and complete an emergency ward in Cape Coast by December next year and gave an assurance that the project was a stepping stone to the forthcoming greater projects in the area of health, education, social welfare and the improvement of the lives of other people in communities.

He, however, encouraged other foundations and private organisations, which operated within localities, to contribute their quota in augmenting the government’s efforts in driving growth and development in the country.

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, commended the foundation for its benevolence in ensuring that the needs of individuals in the country were adequately catered for in the aspect of health care delivery.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Stephen Pambiin Jalulah, he explained that the ministry had observed the bad state of the roads linking to the hospital and the ministry was working tirelessly to fix them.

Functionality

The Medical Superintendent of the Achimota Hospital, Dr David Kwabena Okoh, who received the block on behalf of the hospital, expressed his appreciation to the foundation for the gesture as he said the new emergency block was timely because the previous block had just eight beds, which was shared among both males, females and children.

That, he said, made it difficult to tackle life-threatening illnesses of patients who were rushed in thus “this new emergency is going to serve such a wonderful purpose to this hospital”.

Dr Okoh explained that the new edifice was going to increase the number of emergency cases they could take in the hospital as it was going to double what they used to take previously as a facility.