The Ministry of Health would soon commence the construction of a new ultra-modern maternity block for Tema General Hospital (TGH) to improve maternal care at the hospital. The Sector Minister, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey who announced this on Friday in Tema said Cabinet had agreed on the need for the construction of a new maternity after a report on the deplorable conditions of the existing maternity block. He said an internal survey of the hospital would be undertaken to refurbish other departments in line with its elevation to a regional hospital. Dr Yankey announced this when inaugurating a modern Eye Care Centre constructed by members of Tema Lions Club at GH¢600,000 for the hospital to replace the existing one housed in a nursing facility which is sinking. It has a consulting, screening and operating rooms as well as optometry, men and women wards. Dr Yankey expressed appreciation to the club for supporting the Ministry and promised that it would equip the centre with the requisite staff and equipment to make it functional. He said the centre was very significant to the Ministry since eye problems accounted for over two per cent of complaints from patients at the hospital noting that eye infection was among the top 10 diseases recorded at most of the Out Patient Departments (OPD) of health facilities in the country. The Sector Minister indicated that the centre would help improve eye defects in Tema Metropolis as workers in the industries might be at risk of eye problems as some industrial staff work without the proper protective gadgets. He was optimistic the centre would serve as a training facility in future for eye specialists at the lower level as well as educate residents on eye issues. Dr Yankey charged staff of the hospital especially those at the centre to exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties towards patients to fully benefit from the facility. Dr (Mrs) Charity Sarpong, Medical Superintendent of the hospital expressed appreciation to the club for the gesture and called on other organizations to adopt some departments of the hospital to transform it. She expressed concern that the hospital had not seen any major expansion and renovation since its construction in 1954 leading to the deplorable state of some of its departments. Mr Clement Torsutse, President of Tema Lions Club said the project was initiated in response to members’ responsibility of being “knights of the blind.” He said an additional GH¢50,000 was needed to fully equip the centre to adequately provide the necessary eye care services to its patients. Mr Torsutse expressed gratitude to institutions, philanthropists, individuals and other branch clubs who in diverse ways supported them in cash and kind to undertake the project which took eight years to complete.Source: GNA