The Management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has announced a lockout of the use of social media in the referral treatment center during working hours.

The move according to the Chief Executive of the hospital will boost patient care.

Currently, the IT Department of the hospital has deactivated its computer systems to prohibit the use of social media by staff during working hours.

Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, CEO of the teaching Hospital stressed that the lives of patients who rely on the facility as a referral hospital must not be put at risk by staff addicted to social media.

“This measure has been initiated to encourage staff to learn to put patients at the heart of all hospitals policies, decisions, processes, services and procedures to ensure the hospital remains competitive as a facility of choice for our clients in the face of the ever-changing needs of customers.”

Blocking access to YouTube and other social media platforms is just one of several interventions implemented by the hospital to improve the safety and comfort of patients.

The CEO made the announcement during the hospital’s end-of-year performance review conference in Kumasi, where he addressed department and division heads.

Below is the full text 

SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) OF THE KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL (KATH), PROF. OTCHERE ADDAI-MENSAH, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HOSPITAL’S 2022 END OF YEAR PERFORMANCE REVIEW CONFERENCE HELD IN KUMASI ON WEDNESDAY, 22ND MARCH 2023

Good morning.

It is with a great sense of joy that I welcome all of you to the hospital’s 2022 End-of-Year Performance Review conference. Being the maiden one since my assumption of office as the Chief Executive of this hospital on 1st December, 2022, I am pleased that you have all made time to be present, notwithstanding your busy schedules. I am grateful to the Almighty God for making this day and event possible and for bringing you, our guests, safely here. ‘’I say to you all a big Akwaaba to KATH and the city of Kumasi.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as has been the tradition, today’s event constitutes an integral part of the hospital’s corporate calendar. This is because it serves as the platform for the formal and comprehensive assessment of the collective performance of the hospital during the year under review and allows for the design of new strategies that can be deployed to address registered challenges and short falls.  Of particular significance to me is the selected theme for the conference “, Driving a customer-centric agenda for healthcare delivery: the role of the KATH management, staff and stakeholders”. This theme was specially settled on to highlight the renewed drive by the current management to make the hospital a true customer-focused and friendly facility. My personal conviction is that KATH can, and should be able, to serve its clients in a lot more professional and compassionate manner than is currently the case. It is in the light of the above that at all my introductory engagements with stakeholders since coming to office, I have repeated my personal resolve, and that of my management, to reposition this historic institution as the leading light in patient-centered tertiary healthcare services, training and research in the sub-region.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, today’s customers, and for that matter patients, are more informed, better connected and increasingly demanding than ever before. Patients have now come to expect the highest standards of personal choice, speed, satisfaction and confidentiality in accessing healthcare services. In an increasingly dynamic world, tertiary facilities like KATH must learn to be abreast and even ahead of the growing expectations of patients when it comes to healthcare delivery. We must learn to put patients ‘at the heart’ of all hospital policies, decisions, processes, services and procedures if we are to remain competitive as a facility of choice for our clients in the face of the ever-changing needs of customers.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, a recent global customer experience excellence survey of more than 100,000 consumers conducted by KPMG in 2020 for instance showed that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on customer loyalty, expectations and experience. According to the survey, consumer priorities had shifted to health and safety and also toward heightened convenience, reliability, authenticity and transparency. How does KATH position itself to remain relevant in the tertiary healthcare services space in the face of growing assertiveness of patients and their insistence on personalized and convenient clinical services? I dare say that it is only by building and maintaining an organisational service culture that squarely put patients at the center of the hospital’s operational models and policies with a single-minded focus on understanding their needs with the aim of meeting, or even exceeding their expectations will be the answer to the above question. According to Prof. John Quelch, a renowned scholar in Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, there are “five E’s” in driving a consumer-centric care and these are:

  • Experience that will lead to a cure.
  • Empathy that makes patients feel that the provider cares.
  • Efficiency to ensure that patients access to care is not unduly delayed and that they won’t be kept waiting.
  • Economy to ensure they are getting fair value for the services provided and
  • Empowerment that gives them some degree of choice around their treatment plans.

The simple question remains, what roles can management, staff and stakeholders play in engendering such a customer-centric agenda for the hospital? This is definitely a vision that would take the collective contributions of everybody, from management to staff and stakeholders, to attain.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to state that  management on its part has committed itself to the implementation of a number of measures to make KATH a patient-centered facility that prioritize the delivery of high quality, affordable, timely, convenient, personalized and compassionate tertiary healthcare services to the public. Among these measures are;

  1. Mainstreaming of customer care training and practices in all staffing training and orientations.
  2. Introduction of Directors’ weekend and holiday duty rosters to help maintain executive management’s presence and supervision during those periods.
  3. Regular unannounced visits by Directors during working hours to help maintain management’s physical presence at various operational areas.
  4. Directive on the institution of Directorate Management Teams’ weekend and holiday duty roster.
  5. Insistence on the timely commencement of clinical services at all the Specialist Consulting          Rooms to protect patients from undue delays.
  6. For the first time in the history of the hospital, payments of hospital bills through mobile money (momo) and Point of Sale (POS) terminals has been introduced to        allow     patients to conveniently pay their bills without joining any queue. In just           19 days of the   introduction of this service this month, over One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis               (Ghc100,000.00) in patients’ bills have been paid through these means.
  7. Intensify the conduct of segmented patient satisfaction surveys to determine the        level      of patients’ experiences at the various units and directorates and    other    ways for further improvements.
  8. Institution of courier services for the home delivery of refill medicines to chronic but stable           patients. This means such patients, who will be assigned dedicated Pharmacists, will not       need     to come to the hospital for their medicines as they will be delivered to them at home at a               reasonable fee.
  9. Use of mystery clients to proactively determine, review and enhance quality of care at the         hospital.
  10. Judicious use of IGF to improve stock of logistics, consumables and equipment for improved     service delivery.
  11. Setup a high-powered technical team to extensively assess the old ‘GEE’ blocks (Block A, B,        C&D), after 68 years of intensive usage and develop a master plan for their               comprehensive renovations. This is to transform the blocks into an ideal           environment for the      provision of 21st century medical care for in-patients. The    cost of the renovations are               expected to be funded through the sponsorship and adoption of the wards by private individuals       and organisations.
  12. Blocked hospital computer system’s access to youtube and other social media platforms to      prevent staff from possible loss of concentration on patient care    through the use of such              platforms.
  13. Strengthened the Quality Assurance Unit to prioritise quality of care issues, promptly address patients’ concerns and promote system improvements at the hospital.
  14. Intensify the conduct of segmented patient satisfaction surveys to determine the level of patients’ experiences at the various units and directorates and other ways for further               improvements.
  15. Establishment of a Corporate and Special Service Unit (COSSU) to spearhead the provisions of personalized, timely and convenient clinical services on date and      time appointment basis.
  16. Increased and aggressive drive to mobilise private sector resources for improving the logistics and infrastructure base of the hospital.
  17. Unapologetic enforcement of discipline in the rank and file of staff irrespective of rank       or          profession with the aim of enhancing quality of care to patients.

Our members of staff can also contribute to this drive by cultivating customer            service mindsets that emphasizes the display of positive attitudes and behaviors              towards patients            and demonstrate an awareness of the importance of meeting or exceeding their needs          and               expectations. Our staff must not only show that they are skilled health professionals but that     they are also, most importantly, compassionate care givers. Both their verbal and non-verbal               communications should appease and put patients at ease through the expression of positive           and supportive tones, active listening and friendly body languages.

Our stakeholders also have a huge role in driving this agenda. Through their own resources and           that of their networks, the funding partnerships needed to create or establish the right       ambiance, infrastructure, logistical and equipment base required for the delivery of high-end             clinical services that meets the expectations of patients could be realized.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, patients’ loyalty cannot be bought. It is gained through the provision of exceptional client         services and based on a conscious and clearly executed strategy.  We, therefore, have to be       very intentional in our approach because it underpins our survival as a corporate entity as the      Ghanaian patient is no longer a docile customer with no choice but one that wants to be valued and treated with respect and dignity. If this hospital succeeds in this, it will in turn increase its              financial muscle and enhance its corporate image, referrals and increased customer lifetime               value. We all have a role to play in fulfilling this lofty agenda.

We should not forget that the majority of us struggled and fought our ways into medical school            and health colleges because of patients, wrote letters of applications, and got employed, to care for patients and we get paid every month because we are deemed to be taking of patients. It should, therefore, not be too much if we are being asked to be more customer-centric in the discharge of our duties to these same patients. Yes, as a hospital, we managed to score 81% during our patient satisfaction surveys for 2022 but we should not rest till all our patients are fully satisfied with the care we provide.

We will not be doing them any favour if we strive to meet their expectations. It is in recognition of this that I have made an extensive and passionate appeals to all our internal and external stakeholders, philanthropist, corporate organizations and others to contribute their quota towards the collective quest to make this vision a reality. We should not fail our clients in this drive because they deserve better.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, regarding the performance of the hospital in 2022, the year under review witnessed an appreciable improvement in virtually all the clinical performance and other related indicators of the hospital as compared to that of the same period in 2021. At the Specialist Out-Patient Department (OPD), patient attendance increased from 233,019, cases in 2021, to 256,371 cases in the year under review. The average monthly attendance of 21,364 cases thus translates into an increase of 10.02 per cent. Emergency Admissions rose from 24,697 cases in 2021 to 25,391 cases in 2022. This constitutes a marginal increase of 2.81 per cent. The OPD primary care attendance of the Family Medicine Directorate, which stood at 53,113 cases in the year 2021, increased to 55,934 cases for the same period in 2022, representing 5.31 per cent increase. Surgical operations recorded increased from 15,220 cases in 2021 to 17,215 cases in the year under review indicating an increase of 13.12 per cent. Physiotherapy services also increased from 10,845 cases in 2021 to 12,599 cases in the year under review, representing an increase of 16.17 per cent. Radiology services recorded an increase from 55,601 cases in 2021 to 57,915 cases in the same period under review which translates into a marginal improvement of 4.16 per cent. However, other radiological services delivered outside the Radiology Directorate which includes echocardiography and some ultrasound procedures dropped from 13,524 cases in 2021 to 10,965 cases in the same period under review representing a decrease of 18.92 per cent.  Laboratory services increased from 212,870 in 2021 to 236,428 cases in the same period under review which amounts to an increase of 11.07 per cent. Radiotherapy services also registered a marginal increase of 8 .33 per cent with cases rising from 5,065 in 2021 to 5,487 cases for the same period under review.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, despite the significant increases I have just mentioned, it is regrettable to announce that performances in some key indicators suffered varying levels of reduction. Blood screened by the Transfusion Medicine Unit fell from 18,514 pints of blood to 17,901 pints for the same period under review which translates into a decrease of 3.31 per cent.  In-patient admissions decreased from 29,968 cases in 2021 to 29, 7790 cases reflecting marginal decline of 0.06 per cent. Total deliveries for the period under review also fell from 5,909 cases in 2021 to 5,429 cases in 2022 translating into a decrease of 8.12 per cent.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in pursuit of the retooling objective, the hospital during the period under review also continued with its heavy investment by spending an amount of over Six Million Ghana Cedis (Ghc6 Million) from its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) in the procurement of critically needed equipment and facilities. These sets of equipment are making remarkable difference in the hospital’s ability to provide a broader range of specialist care to the public and training of health care professionals in the country. Notable among the equipment that were delivered and installed during the period included ventilators, an X-Ray Digital detector, a Lamina flow cabinet, an electric tumbler dryer three Slit Lamp Biomicroscope, four Cardiac Monitors and  suction machines among others.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, development in the area of building infrastructure, maintenance works on both Official and Residential bungalows during the period was also quite impressive. Works on the new Maternity and Children’s block project reached 60 per cent completion rate. The execution of several clinical and other ancillary facilities meant to improve the delivery of sub-specialist services as part of the strategies for improving patient care and revenue also witnessed some progress One of such projects was the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Centre of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Directorate which is the first of its kind in a public hospital in the country. This project, which has been designed to provide world class fertility and other reproductive services to the public, is currently at 80 per cent completion stage.

Another milestone project that was undertaken in the period under review was the successful renovation and re-tooling of the hospital’s A1 Theatre into a two-room purpose-built surgical facility for the Paediatric Surgery Unit of the hospital. The cost of the project was executed with a 600.000.00 USD funding from KidsOR, a U.K. based charity organisation.

Nana Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, works on the construction of the four -storey National Cleft Care Centre project which is being executed with a two million US Dollar ($2M) funding from the Smile Train International of the USA through the Ghana Cleft Foundation is also 70 per cent completed. The Centre upon completion

will boast of four theatres, an intensive care unit, laboratories, consulting rooms, sound-proof speech therapy rooms, a library, open spaces for multipurpose usage, conference rooms, play area for children, waiting lounges and orthodontics room among others.

Another significant project that kick started in the year under review was the expansion works on the hospital’s Dialysis Centre at the Family Medicine Unit to increase its capacity from 5 to 25 machines. This project, which is at 67 per cent completion stage has stalled due to technical challenge and the remaining works have been repackaged for retendering. I am confident that all the outstanding issues surrounding the delay of the project would be resolved in the next couple of months to help provide quality, timely and convenient dialysis services to the public.

In view of that, management has set up a new Dialysis Centre  at the Accident and Emergency Centre, near the Special Ward to ensure continuity of care for patients who needed dialysis service. The proximity of this new centre to the hospital’s ICU and the Special Ward has helped to curtail the transportation of critically ill clients through the tortuous distance to the Family Medicine Directorate where the main dialysis centre was located.

Additionally, an amount of Gh₵ 1,670,255.90 from the hospital’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) was spent on the maintenance of both official and residential bungalows of the hospital in the period under review. Nana Chairman, permit me to mention some of the projects that were executed which included  the provision of  mesh fencing of  all the transformers within the hospital,  Reconstruction of collapsed fence wall and drains at Bantama Nurses Quarters,  Renovation works at Anaesthesia assessment room at Family Medicine Directorate,  Provision of Burglar proof at General wards, Accident and Emergency and Specialist Out Patient Departments(OPD), Compound paving and grassing  at the  Booster station, separation of maintenance store and electrical panel area, creation of washrooms for the  Dietician Unit, Provision of concrete poles along the boundaries of KATH land at Pakyi No 1, among others.

Nana Board Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, though it can be deduced from my earlier disclosures that credible and significant improvements were recorded in the operational figures and other infrastructure base of the hospital during the period under review, we as Management and the hospital generally are determined not to give room for complacency. Management is, therefore, determined to grant greater operational and financial autonomy to the directorates and units. This would be achieved by allocating a percentage of the revenues generated by these directorates and units to create a sense of ownership and empower them to expeditiously resolve operational challenges confronting them.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as part of efforts to deepen the addition and expansion of sub-specialty disciplines in the hospital, the state-of-the-art Laparoscopic Surgery Training Centre was inaugurated at the main theatre of the hospital on 14th May, 2022 to boost specialist surgical services to the public. The training centre was funded by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), at a cost of US$ 234,231. It is the second of its kind to be established in Ghana by the Foundation.

The inauguration of the centre was commemorated with the performance of the first surgical procedure by the lead Surgeon Dr. Dominic Darkwa, who together with others, had benefited from a six-month training programme in South Korea funded by KOFIH, to effectively man the centre.

Another significant development recorded at the hospital last year was the award of the contract for the comprehensive renovation and expansion of the hospital’s Psychiatry Unit, thanks to a 2.5 million Ghana Cedi funding secured from the Ghana Gas Company. This project is expected to transform the Unit from a 11-bed capacity facility to 45-bed one including five Electroconvulsive Therapy rooms.  I am happy to announce that the project contractor has moved to site to commence work. It is my fervent hope that the project would be completed within the stipulated time to ensure the provision of first-class psychiatry services in the hospital.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, another milestone project that was executed in the year under review was the painting of the old GEE blocks to beautify the hospital. A big round of applause should go to the KATH Board, especially Lawyer Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, who spearheaded the mobilization of the funding for the project which has given the hospital a major facelift. Taking inspiration from this feat, management has also began the drive to get Neuce Paints Ghana Limited and other partners to repaint all the blocks at the Doctors’ Flats of the hospital which are currently in a decrepit state.

Nana Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me  to extend the hospital’s gratitude to the Ministry of Health for their kind donation of 32-slice Computer Tomography (C.T) machine which has been installed at the Radiology Unit’s work station at the Family Medicine Directorate and is currently operational. This new acquisition will help improve radiological services at the hospital and bring down the pressure on the existing 128-slice C.T. machine at the A&E Centre.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Management also commenced the processes towards the comprehensive renovation of the hospital’s main Theatre, I am happy to announce that an advertisement has been published in the newspapers for the selection and appointment of a competent Consultant and a contractor for the project, which upon completion, is expected to further enhance surgical services and training at the hospital.

Nana Chairman, Hon. Ashanti Regional Minister, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, before I bring my address to a close, I will like to seize this moment to express my utmost gratitude to members of the Board, management and the entire staff of the hospital for the level of support and cooperation that have been extended to me during this short period that have been in office. Indeed, the reception from all and sundry has been overwhelming. To you all I say a big thank you for the confidence reposed in me and I promise never to disappoint.

Once more, I wish to welcome all of you to this conference and trust that we shall all have a very productive time by learning from the collective insights of all of us gathered here.

I thank you for your attention and may God bless us all.

Source: Ghana/Kasapaonline.com/102.5FM/Isaac Bediako