Ninety-three (93) years ago, an important national hospital came into operation as a first real attempt at providing healthcare for the indigenous population of the Gold Coast. This was in 1923 under the administration of Governor Frederick Gordon Guggisberg.
Prior to the establishment of Korle Bu Hospital, the first definite attempt to provide a healthcare facility was in 1878 when Dr Jean opened a makeshift hospital for the use of government and imperial forces. Five years later in 1881 Governor Rowe laid the foundation stone for a new hospital, with a paltry 12 beds, for the indigenous people.
The colonial government was acutely aware of the need to construct a bigger hospital that could address the needs of the people of the Gold Coast. This led Governor Hugh Charles Clifford to acquire the land for Korle Bu in 1916. Construction, however, delayed because of the outbreak of the First World War until 1919 when Governor Guggisberg took office.
From its humble inception as a 192-bed capacity hospital, Korle Bu has now evolved into a 2000-bed tertiary healthcare facility. It is the biggest hospital in West Africa and the third largest on the African continent.
The Role of Korle Bu in Patient Care and Training
After it was commissioned on October 9, 1923, Korle Bu has contributed immensely in several fronts to the health sector. The contribution it has made and continues to make has earned it various accolades such as ‘the last stop’, ‘the ultimate’, ‘the best’, among others.  Millions of lives have been saved through the exceptional skills and hard work of its doctors, nurses and other crucial workers in its over 90 years of service.
Now on average, 400,000 patients receive care in Korle Bu annually and this is beside the numerous patients who are referred for different investigations and medications by other hospitals. The profiles of these patients are as varied as the number of countries we have in the West Africa sub-region. Some of the countries where we receive patients from include Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Liberia.
Right from 1923, Korle Bu served as the bedrock for the training of different health professionals such as nurses, dispensary assistants, radiographers, laboratory scientists and doctors when the Ghana Medical School was established in 1962. Now, about 250 doctors are churned out of the School of Medicine and Dentistry and as many as 400 nurses and midwives are produced annually. Korle Bu provides the platform for the practical training of these professionals.
Korle Bu has, on several occasions, been adjudged as the best training institution by the West African College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as the Ghana College.  Korle Bu will continue to lead in the provision of patient care, training and offering a veritable ground for research.
Impact on our Facilities by Increasing Patient Load
There is a palpable strain on our infrastructure and other facilities because of the increasing demands by patients, students, staff and visitors to the hospital. Outpatients have increased from 200 to more than 1500 patients daily. The training schools, which are 10 in number, have all increased their intake of students. All these have combined to pile up pressure on the hospital’s facilities.
The Ministry of Health and government are keenly aware of this strain on the Hospital and since 2012 have begun a process of retooling Korle Bu. Much as the retooling project is helpful and has addressed some of our pressing problems, wide infrastructural gaps still remain.  It is this desire to fill the infrastructural and equipment gaps that has led the Board, Management and Staff to commit to find a durable and lasting solution to these challenges.
Establishment of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Trust Fund
After it was sworn into office in September 2014, the Board immediately undertook an assessment of the state of the hospital and realised that there was the need to establish a Trust Fund. The Fund, is envisioned, to complement government’s efforts and not replace it. Again, it is intended to serve as an independent, reliable and transparent vehicle for mobilizing resources to address some of the critical challenges facing the hospital.
To ensure transparency, the Trust Fund will be manned by a Board of Trustees made up of accomplished and distinguished men and women in the business, industry, academia and other relevant fields. These carefully selected individuals will assure donors that their donations will be strictly used for the intended purpose.
The Trust Fund, will be formally launched on Saturday, March 19, 2016 and has committed itself to raise a seed capital of GH¢3million. The occasion is expected to be graced by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama and the two former Presidents. The Fund has identified some projects in the Hospital and will solicit individual and corporate support for their execution.
List of Projects to be Executed Under the Trust Fund
The hospital has generated a list of essential needs which we refer to as priority projects. These priority projects requires philanthropic corporate bodies and individuals to support the hospital execute them under the aegis of the Trust Fund. Ways have been devised to sufficiently recognize and honour donors. The priority projects identified by the Trust Fund are:
CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY BLOCK: This is a three-storey ultra-modern facility which will attend to all children’s emergencies. The facility will have the capacity to support subspecialty services, particularly those that are currently unavailable. This is to ensure that sick children get the best care with the required facilities and equipment. The estimated cost of the project is GH¢25million. When completed, the Emergency block’s bed capacity will increase by 30 percent.
GYNAE COMPLEX: Currently the Gynae Emergency where our female patients are seen is a structure cladded with roofing sheets. This is inappropriate for the dignity of our mothers, wives and sisters. Drawings for a modern Gynae Emergency for all female-related cases have been done. The estimated cost of this is GH¢20million and will create a decent and dignified environment for the care of numerous females who throng Korle Bu for gynaecological care.
WATER RESERVOIR: The Hospital receives water mainly from the Weija headworks for its clinical and non-clinical activities. Our current reservoir stores up to 250,000 gallons of water. This reservoir can serve the Hospital for just four hours!  This is what happens when there is no supply from Weija. This is, however, inadequate for a teaching facility the size of Korle Bu.
The hospital Management hopes to raise GH¢2million to build a 7million litre water reservoir to ensure uninterrupted clinical work for a week when water supply is cut from Weija.
SEWERAGE PROJECT: Korle Bu’s sewer lines are over 90 years old thus very weak. The sewer lines, which were first installed with asbestos, are all worn out and unable to treat the Hospital’s waste before disposal into the Korle lagoon.
We hope to install pressure lines throughout our clinical areas. This facility, which is estimated to cost US$30million, will treat our waste before it is finally discharged into the Korle lagoon. The health and safety benefits of installing these lines are obvious. For instance, a possible spread of diseases through eating infested fish from the lagoon, can be avoided.
SURGICAL OPD & ENDOSCOPY SUITE: The current OPD is too small and always over-crowded during clinic days. The location of the Endoscopy Unit is also housed in an inappropriate and obscure structure which is far removed from the Surgical Sub-BMC. The Hospital intends to construct an OPD which will have the Endoscopy Unit located within. This project is estimated to cost US$20million.
CSSD RETOOLING: The Central Sterile Supplies Department (CSSD) sterilises all the surgical equipment and linens used in the Hospital. The Department needs a minimum of four (4) autoclaves to adequately cater for Korle Bu’s sterilisation needs.
Currently, only one autoclave is working at half-mast. As a result of this, sterilisation orders are queued based on the urgency of the department. This causes delays in our theatre work. The Fund needs a minimum of US$500,000 to install autoclaves and other equipment. With this, the Department will be able to work effectively.
Pledges and Donations
Individuals and corporate bodies can support the fund through cash donations and cheques. Donors also have the option of delivering an entire project (plan, design, funds, construction, etc) till completion. Please note that cheques should be written in the name of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (Trust Fund).

Conclusion
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is undoubtedly an important national asset and all philanthropic corporate bodies and individuals are called upon to donate to the Trust Fund to improve the quality of care we provide to our patients.

Donate now to save a life. It may be yours or a loved one!