The First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II will later this month lead another campaign at Manhyia to raise funds for the new Mother & Baby Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

It follows an earlier #SaveThemNow fundraising event jointly held by The Multimedia Group and the First Lady which received a massive support from individuals and companies.

The event which is targeted at raising an initial GHS10 million to put up a new Mother and Baby Unit for the largest hospital in the Ashanti Region, as well as other referral hospitals, saw companies such as GHACEM, producers of cement, and Promasidor manufacturers of cowbell donating money and other items.

So far, the event spurred on by complications mothers and their newborn babies face at the Mother and Baby Unit at KATH, has gained support from organisations and private individuals.

Mrs Akufo-Addo decided to help after she and the Second Lady Samira Bawumia were handed copies of the Joy News' Special Assignment documentary 'Next To Die', produced by Seth Kwame Boateng. .  

Mr Boateng's documentary highlighted maternal and child deaths as a result of lack of space and logistics at the hospital. 

Doctors and other stakeholders have called for speedy completion of an abandoned 1000-bed capacity maternal block for the hospital.

On the average, about 100 women die on delivery beds at the KATH in Kumasi annually, while about four babies die each day, sometimes seven babies lose their lives.

She revealed at the fundraising event that they were horrified and disturbed after watching the awful conditions at KATH. 

“We saw the need to help not only because we are mothers, but because fate has put us in a position where we cannot fail to act.

“Like Esther in the Bible, we felt that God has put us in our positions for a time like this,” she said.

Doctors say the situation has reached a crisis level as women in labour are forced to join long queues for their turn to be attended to.

The abandoned Maternity block

During the #SaveThemNow fundraising event, doctors disclosed that they expect the new facility will reduce the mortality by up to 60 percent.

Determined to see the project through, the First Lady's office Wednesday confirmed to Luv FM Editor, Saeed Ali Yakubu, that on May 21, the Kumasi edition of the fundraising event in collaboration with the Asante overlord will come off. 

He said the Manhyia Palace has also confirmed its involvement but did not give more details as it is yet to meet to agree on its role.