As part of activities to mark its 20th anniversary, Ghana’s largest telecommunications network MTN has constructed and handed over a GH¢5.5 million ultra-modern Maternity Block to authorities of the Tema General Hospital.

The 40-bed Maternity Block comprises a 20-bed first stage ward, and another 20-bed lying ward with one theatre.

The facility also has a seven-bed monitoring and recovery ward, nurses’ station and changing rooms, sluice rooms, pantry and store, two consultation rooms, two doctors’ offices and restrooms, nurses’ office and restroom.

The edifice comes with equipment including anaesthesia machine, diathermy machine, incubator, baby cot, patient monitors, infusion pump, and radiant warmer.

Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh speaking at the commissioning of the facility, said the project was necessitated by a news item which highlighted the struggle faced by the Hospital to raise funds to complete its maternity ward.

He said MTN Ghana Foundation had invested over 13 million dollars in building maternity blocks, school blocks, libraries and Information Communication Technology Centres around the country in the last 10 years.

In all, MTN Ghana Foundation has invested $4million in 52 health projects in the country and impacted about 1.2 million lives.

He said the Foundation had touched four million lives directly and indirectly with 142 projects in education, health and economic empowerment.

Mr Adadevoh said the facility was expected to help relieve the pressure on existing facilities at the Hospital, as a result of the increasing population.

The project, he said, would serve the growing health needs of the over 12,000 pregnant women who visited the Hospital annually for deliveries.

He was optimistic that the facility would improve maternal and neonatal health in Tema and its environs and as well reduce the country’s maternal mortality rate which remained high.

Professor Plange Rhule, the Vice-chairman of MTN Foundation Board, said one of the major challenges affecting the country’s healthcare delivery was its infrastructural deficit.

According to him, reports indicate that Ghana did not meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals four and five, aimed at reducing child and maternal mortality.

The report explained that one of the reasons for the failure was the quality of healthcare delivery.

He said to ensure an effective management of the facility, management together with the authorities of the Hospital would create a maintenance fund and signed a maintenance agreement with suppliers after the expiration of the 12 month warranty period.

Madam Tina Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health, commended MTN Ghana for the gesture and appealed to corporate organisations to emulate MTN Ghana Foundation and support other hospitals to improve health delivery.

Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, Medical Director, Tema General Hospital, commended the Foundation for the support, in that the facility would cater for the increasing number of patients in the Hospital.

She said government would continue to support any activities to improve maternal mortality in the country.

He said the Tema General Hospital was the third highest in the country, adding that the Hospital in 2017 delivered over 7,000 babies with over 22,261 pregnant women who visited the hospital in the same year.