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NMSI Progress Blog

Fomena Hospital now Operational

By Fomena, Press, Progress

The new hospital in Fomena is now operational, with the maternity ward, outpatient department, paediatrics ward and dental facilities now all in use. From the initial concept and planning, to the first baby being born there last week, this amazing project will transform healthcare in the region.

The state-of-the-art facilities will reduce disease and increase the vaccination rate. The dedicated maternity centre will provide more women with access to healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth, reducing neonatal deaths.

The hospital has brought jobs to the area as well as healthcare, with increased training opportunities for those living near the site.

The hospital can play a vital role in the monitoring of public health. Should a disease outbreak occur (measles, cholera) the well-equipped hospital will not only be able to quickly spot such an epidemic, but also take steps to quell it before it becomes more widespread.

Equipment Training Begins at Fomena District Hospital

By Fomena, Press, Progress

A joint visit to Fomena District Hospital by the client’s technical team (PIU) and NMSI’s ICMT team took place between 19th-23rd June, for clinical equipment joint inspections and acceptance.

Led by Saqub Qureshi (ICMT Project Manager) and managed by Samuel Amponsah-Tuffour and Erica Awindor (Ghana ICMT Team), training on the clinical equipment and MEP systems has now commenced, encompassing operating theatre equipment, x-ray, mortuary, intensive care and maternity.

Official Handover of Takoradi European Hospital Project

By Press, Takoradi

Seven recently completed multi-storey accommodation blocks have been completed by NMSI at the Takoradi European Hospital in Western Ghana. Designed by UK architects TP Bennett, the purpose-built blocks will provide high quality modern accommodation for 80+ Ghana Health Service healthworkers at the long established regional hospital in Western Ghana.

Nicholas Oliver, Head of Business Development, and Kwadwo Oware, Country Representative attended the official hand over ceremony at the Ministry of Health, represented by Director Ben Nkansah and PMU Head Kwame Sarfo in Accra, Ghana on 8 June 2023.

Commenting on the milestone, Kwame Amponsah Sarfo, Head of the Capital Investment and Project Management Unit of the Infrastructure Directorate, said: “As we open the doors of these housing units to health staff, let us remember the sacrifices of all project actors in achieving this wonderful milestone. The challenges encountered on this project and the eventual completion is reflective of the saying ‘fortune favours the bold’. It’s a dream come true and big congratulations to NMSI for braving the storm.”

Referring to the challenges of the past few years, Ben Ampomah Nkansah, Director of Infrastructure at the Ministry of Health congratulated NMSI: “On this journey, we met a number of challenges and solved them together with unwavering determination. Your commitment, expertise, and relentless dedication have truly made this project a great success. Thank you for all the efforts invested in bringing this healthcare housing scheme from paper to reality.”

 

Kumawu Celebrates National Tree Planting Day

By Kumawu, Press

The Government of Ghana earmarked 9th of June as the National Tree Planting Day. As part of the celebrations, the Kumawu Forest District of Forestry Commission undertook ceremonial tree planting at the Kumawu District Hospital site.

The Green Ghana Initiative seeks to create a collective action towards restoration of degraded landscapes in the country, mitigate climate change and inculcate in the youth the values of planting and nurturing trees and their associated benefits.

A public ceremony was be held in commemoration of the event at the project site. This involved the chief of Kumawu, the District Chief executive and other dignitaries from the Forestry commission, the Ghana Health service, and students from Tweneboah Kodua Secondary school. The Kumawu District Forest had a target of two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000) seedlings. Tree species that were planted on site included polyalthia spp., royal palm spp., coconut trees among others.

Ghana Sites Celebrate World Safety Day

By Uncategorized

World Day for Safety and Health at work was set aside by the International Labour Organisation to emphasise the prevention of accidents and diseases at work. NMSI observed this day across its Ghana sites on 28th April, with the theme “The Search for the Big 5”.

At Fomena, a site-wide toolbox talk was held on 28th April with all workers, supervisors and managers attending. A video  presentation on the theme, “The Search for the Big 5” (induction, hard hats, hi-visibility vests, boots and gloves) was shown, before a talk on the “Hidden Cost of Accidents” that highlighted the cost of accidents to workers at all levels of the organizational setup. Site and sub-contractor management gave talks to indicate their continued support for the right to a safe working environment for all workers. The day concluded with awards being given to deserving workers for their contribution to health and safety.

At Kumawu, the site team hosted a three-day programme to educate workers on handling emergencies, fire prevention strategies and the “Search for the Big 5”.

On 25th April, three professionals from the Ghana National Ambulance service educated workers on handling medical emergencies. Workers were taken through practical steps for first responders to put a casualty in the recovery position, as well as first aid treatment for injuries such as cuts and amputations.

The next day, two professionals from the Ghana Fire Service trained workers on what to do in case of a fire. Training included the protection of others, minimising damage to the facility and the extinguishing of small fires.

The three-day programme concluded with the “Search for the Big 5”. As part of the celebration, the monthly safety awards programme for outstanding leadership and support in safety was held.

Ministerial Site Visits

By Fomena, Kumawu, Progress

The Regional Minister and Queen Mother of Fomena visited Fomena District Hospital in March to ascertain progress made on the project.

Also in attendance were the District Health Director of Fomena, the Assistant Police District Commander, the Fomena Fire Commander, representatives from the nursing training school and two secondary school attendees.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu recently visited the Kumawu District Hospital site to inspect progress. The Minister was reported in national media as expressing his satisfaction with progress, remarking on the high quality of the work.

 

 

Prostate Cancer Awareness Talk at Kumawu

By Fomena, Press, Uncategorized

A health talk on prostate cancer was delivered to 268 workers at the Kumawu District Hospital site on 13th February.

Three health professionals visited the site to engage workers on varied topics relating to prostate cancer, including:

  • What prostate cancer is
  • The causes of prostate cancer
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Risk factors
  • Diagnosis and treatment

2022 Project Progress

By Press, Progress

Works on the Ghana Healthcare Project have progressed well across 2022, with two of the three facilities nearing completion and due to be handed over early in 2023.

The advanced payment was received in January 2022, following which a kick-off meeting with Ministry of Health representatives on the project execution plan was conducted. Pre-construction works began in February with the clearance of vegetation, fumigation, and the deep cleaning of buildings.

In March, NMSI site teams fully deployed to Fomena, Kumawu and Takoradi with construction works ramping up in earnest. Welfare facilities and temporary offices were established to enable respective construction teams to work efficiently and comfortably. In parallel, the Purchasing & Logistics team revalidated supply lines, as well as testing equipment that had been stored in-country and replaced all consumables which had expired.

Prior to relaunch, NMSI’s Environmental Team visited all three sites to assess any changes to the surrounding conditions, producing a Gap Analysis report to the ESIAs for the District Hospitals and staff accommodation as agreed between NMSI and UKEF; with renewed environmental permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency for Fomena and Kumawu in January and for Takoradi in March. Since, the environmental team have been conducting fortnightly checks across all sites for air and noise pollution, fuel, waste and traffic management as well as the protection of vegetation. The results of these were submitted via the bi-annual monitoring report on environmental and social compliance to UKEF which was subsequently accepted.

The recruitment of logistics and Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance & Training (ICMT) teams for the project was completed in May, before the first containers containing IT, medical and non-medical equipment were shipped in July. The ICMT team over the past six months have been focused on writing standard operating procedures, training notes, as well as performance verification and acceptance testing protocols all in time for the equipment to be installed at Fomena.

Site inspections were carried out on all three sites by the Infrastructure Directorate in June and October, with the Minister of Health and other representatives visiting in August, who were pleased to report good progress on the project.

As the year draws to a close, Fomena and Takoradi enter the final stages of completion, with snagging and equipment installation taking place over December and January. To ensure the timely completion of Kumawu and offer further job opportunities, a number of labourers who haveworked at Fomena and Takoradi will move to Kumawu in the new year to support construction efforts with targeted completion in March 2023.

Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening

By Uncategorized

The month of October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness around the world and at Fomena, a team of public health nurses from the District Directorate of Health were invited to educate workers on-site. Topics of discussion included:

  • What breast cancer is
  • What the causes of breast cancer are
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Those at risk
  • Treatment

85 workers from Fomena attended the session on 19th October, with 12 female workers undergoing on-site screening.