The First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Wednesday commissioned a 150-seater waiting lounge for visitors and relatives of detained patients of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The waiting area, called “The Atlantic Lounge” was constructed by the First Atlantic Bank, upon a request by Mrs Akufo-Addo.

It is fitted with washrooms and other auxiliary facilities, including banking solutions.

It will benefit relatives of patients detained at the emergency wards of the Hospital- the Accident Emergency Department, Trauma Unit, and the Paediatric Intensive Care Units.

Mrs Akufo-Addo, who is also Executive Director of The Rebecca Foundation, commended the First Atlantic Bank for readily responding to her request to build a “beautiful comfortable waiting area” for visitors of the Hospital that has about 2000 beds and receives close to 1,500 visitors daily.

She recalled that in May 2019 when she commissioned the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, constructed by the Rebecca Foundation, she observed with worry that the Hospital lacked a decent waiting area for visitors and relatives of patients who were detained at the Hospital’s emergency wards.

The First Lady said she felt sad at the state of the already traumatised relations who had to wait under trees and other uncomfortable places for news of their hospitalised loved ones.

 She, therefore, decided to seek partnership through her Foundation by appealing to the First Atlantic Bank to provide a decent waiting area to offer comfort, safety, peace of mind, and protection against the vagaries of the weather, to visitors and relatives of the Hospital’s clients.

“I expressed my desire to find a solution to Dr Okoe Boye, who was the Board Chair of Korle Bu, at the time. We approached some corporate institutions, including the First Atlantic Bank, to build a waiting area for Korle Bu.
“Fortunately, our proposal for a waiting area was in line with the Corporate Social objectives of the Bank. The Managing Director of the First Atlantic Bank acknowledged the enormous relief that such a project would bring to citizens, who have to wait as their relatives and friends undergo medical care,” Mrs Akufo-Addo narrated.

The First Lady was, therefore, happy that the facility had been completed on time.
She charged the management of the Hospital to ensure that the place was well maintained, and also entreated visitors of the facility to keep it clean and adhere to all hygienic protocols.

Mr Amarquaye Amar, Board Chairman, First Atlantic Bank, said the project fell within the Corporate Social Responsibility activities of the Bank, stating that “We are proud to have completed the construction of this attractive edifice in record time; it is intended to serve as a modern, comfortable waiting space for families and friends of patients who are being attended to at the Korle -Bu Teaching Hospital”.

He expressed the hope that the lounge would remain "fit-for-purpose" to lessen the distress and fatigue that mothers, children, and the public so often experienced whenever they visited Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, expressed gratitude to the First Lady and Management of First Atlantic Bank for the facility, which he said would go a long way to provide some comfort to relatives and friends of patients in their emergency wards.

After the commissioning, Mrs Akufo-Addo visited the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Paediatric and Intensive Care Unit (PICU), also on the premises of the Korle-Bu Hospital, to observe the facility’s usage and maintenance by patients and management of the Hospital.

She expressed satisfaction at how well the facility had been kept and encouraged management of the Hospital to continue with its exemplary maintenance culture to ensure that such facilities stood the test of time.

The First Lady restated the commitment of the Rebecca Foundation to promoting the well-being of all Ghanaian women and children and said it would continue to work earnestly, in their interest.