The Jubilee Catholic Children's Hospital at Apowa in the Ahanta-West Municipality of the Western Region has unveiled its 5th-anniversary celebrations as part of the 50th anniversary of the Sekondi/Takoradi Diocese of the Catholic Church, with a call on corporate Ghana, the government, and other spirited individuals to come to the aid of the hospital in a bid to discharge its mandate efficiently.

Established in October 2019 with the prime motive of catering to the healthcare needs of children, the hospital has extended its services to adults within the catchment area due to a lack of hospitals and growing demand to access medical care at their doorsteps.

The Administrator at the Jubilee Catholic Children's Hospital, Daniel Bomah, disclosed this on the sidelines at the luncheon of its fifth-anniversary celebrations at St. Mary's Boys' Senior High School at Apowa.

The climax of the anniversary is slated for October 2024, with a tentative program of activities.

He said the fifth anniversary, which is on the theme "Strengthening Partnership and Maintaining Excellence," comes with fostering partnerships among staff, clients, and stakeholders to make the hospital an ideal one.

Mr. Bomah said that in spite of the successes chalked up so far, the hospital lacked basic facilities such as theater lights, anesthesia machines, delivery beds, and blood banks, among others.

Mr. Bomah said the hospital is overstretched and appealed to the government, corporate Ghana, and spirited individuals to support the medical facility.

He said the hospital had only four dispensing doctors and appealed to the government to post more doctors to the hospital.

Mr. Bomah entreated hospital staff and stakeholders to make the medical facility a hospital of choice in the Western Region and beyond.

He reminded hospital staff of efficient client service delivery to push the hospital to a higher pedestal.

The occasion was used to unveil the anniversary cloth and cut the cake to line up a tentative program of activities to be climaxed on October 27, 2024.

In spite of some challenges confronting the hospital, the administrator lauded efforts by the board of governors, doctors, nurses, security staff, and the Catholic Diocese of Sekondi for their selflessness and unity of purpose in the delivery of excellent healthcare.

He said the hospital started dispensing healthcare services to 6,000 patients per year, which has increased to 41,000 patients.

The hospital, therefore, needed expansion to meet the ever-increasing demands of patients.

Mr. Bomah stated that drugs were available at the hospital's pharmacy with quality service delivery.

He paid glowing tribute to the Catholic Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese for mooting the idea to establish the hospital.

The Board Director of the Ahantaman Rural Bank, Eric Daning, who was the guest speaker, urged doctors, nurses, and general staff at the hospital to provide excellent healthcare services in a bid to make the Jubilee Catholic Children's Hospital the number one choice in the Western Region and Ghana at large.

He reminded corporate bodies, the government, and individuals to respond to the cry of Jubilee Hospital with delivery beds, theater lights, anesthesia machines, and doctors, among others.

Mr. Daning also appealed to the government to build staff bungalows to accommodate nurses, doctors, and other staff near the facility to respond rapidly to the healthcare needs of patients.

He said the staff of the hospital have proven beyond doubt in the last five years to provide cutting-edge medical services to patients in the Western Region.

Mr. Daning commended the staff for improvements in maternal and child healthcare as well as affordable and equitable healthcare delivery.

The Medical Director at the hospital, Dr. Mariama Afful-Eshun, said the hospital would continue to extend healthcare services to people in the Ahanta-West Municipality.

She said the hospital started in 2019 with the "cash and carry" system of accessing medical care until 2022 when it was accredited with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Dr. Afful-Eshun admitted that the five-year journey to excellence could not have been achieved without close collaboration with sister hospitals, the Catholic Diocese of Sekondi/Takoradi, and other stakeholders.

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sekondi/Takoradi, Most Rev. John Baptist Attakruh, who chaired the occasion, congratulated hospital staff for their sense of dedication and commitment to duty.

He pledged the unwavering support of the Catholic Diocese to uplift the hospital.