The facility, situated in the Keta Municipal Hospital, is being handed over to the government and the hospital today, March 7, 2023, three months after construction started.
The handing over and commissioning of the facility is to commemorate Ghana’s Independence and also entrench MTN’s commitment and contribution towards Ghana’s achievements in the last 67 years and its development moving forward.
News of the completion of the project has spread throughout Keta and the entire Anlo enclave, which spans over 30 communities. The commissioning today, Thursday, March 7, 2024, is expected to be graced by the MTN CEO, Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu, Regional Health Director; the Awoemefia (Overlord) of the Anlo State Torgbui Sri III and other stakeholders. Staff and Management of the hospital and opinion leaders in Keta and adjoining communities will also be well represented.
Worth about GHȼ15.2 million, the facility has a 40-bed maternity ward, emergency rooms, delivery wards, recovery rooms, and lie-in wards. It also has a 20-bed NICU to cater for babies who may require critical care.
Other features of the facility are two operating theatres, a hostel for mothers, consulting rooms, and offices for nurses. It also has a reception, an outpatient department (OPD) area, laboratory, and dispensary facilities, among others.
This is a huge improvement on the old facility, which had only 20 wards to cater for over 3,000 maternity and 684 NICU admissions annually. A situation which had several patients having to endure inadequate conditions to get through their pregnancy.
During the sod cutting of the facility in December 2023, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh observed that the facility will be the single largest investment by MTN Ghana Foundation since its establishment in 2007, “a testament to MTN's dedication to improving access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians,” he stressed.
More importantly, it marks a significant milestone in healthcare infrastructure development in the region, considering that it will improve healthcare for mothers, women, and infants in over 15 communities spanning about 4 districts.
Mr Adadevor observed that MTN took the initiative in response to the critical need for improved healthcare infrastructure in the region, particularly in maternal and neonatal care. He was optimistic that the impact of the facility would not only benefit the Keta area but also the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Thus, the project aligns with MTN's commitment to corporate social investment in healthcare, which is one of the Foundation's three pillars (Health, Education, and Economic Empowerment).
It goes without saying that the completion of the facility will go a long way to alleviate the pressure on the existing inadequate healthcare infrastructure and provide the much-needed relief to expectant mothers, newborns, and health workers in the region.
Torgbui Sri III, the Awoemefia of Anlo State, who graced the sod cutting at the time, praised MTN Ghana Foundation for making such life-changing and impactful decisions to improve healthcare in the Anlo area.