KATH signs MOU with two leading Chinese Medical Institutions

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two leading Chinese medical institutions as part of its strategic drive to enhance its core competences in the provision of tertiary health care services, training and research.
The two Chinese medical institutions are the Nanjing Medical University (NMU), the Wenzhou Medical College (WMC) and its affiliated teaching hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College (FAHWMC).

The Chief Executive of KATH, Prof. Ohene Adjei, initialed the MOU for the hospital when he led a three-member delegation on a highly successful one-week visit to China.
Dr. Di Chen, President of NMU signed for his university whilst Prof. Chen Xiaoming, in his capacity as Vice President of WMC and President of FAHWMC initialed for the two respective institutions.

The NMU, founded in 1934, is a top medical university with 1,400 strong faculty located in the Jiangsu province. It has 18 affiliated hospitals and another 30 different teaching hospitals.
Built in 1958, WMC has close to 22,000 students including Ghanaians pursing various medical programmes and related courses up to the P.H.D. level whilst FAHWMC was established in 1919.
It currently has 1,600-bed facility at its old site whilst its new satellite facility boasts of 2,500 beds with ultra modern medical equipment.  
“This collaboration thus provides the hospital with a golden opportunity to tap into the rich and diverse best practices of our Chinese counterparts for better services delivery to our clients as envisioned in our 2010-2014 Strategic Plan”, he stressed. 
Prof. Ohene Adjei indicated that KATH and its Chinese counterparts’ concentration would initially be in the areas of training, provision of specialist clinical services and research through exchange programmes.
“We were overwhelmed with the level of innovation and standard of medical practice and facilities in the medical institutions and the affiliated teaching hospitals that we visited.

“We therefore have no doubt that the collaboration will help KATH to consolidate its position as a leading provider of specialist heath care services, training and research in West Africa in line with our new Strategic Plan” he stressed.
A third collaborative framework in the area of research and training is also being explored between KATH and the Centre for Infectious Diseases of the Beijing You’an Hospital.
Speaking in an interview with the press in Kumasi at the weekend after the trip to China, Prof. Ohene Adjei said though KATH has decades of rich experience in international partnership, this is the first time the hospital was entering into a relationship with Chinese institutions.
He said the hospital’s decision to seek special partnership with these prestigious Chinese institutions is in line with the growing relationship between the governments of the two countries and China’s emergence as a global giant.

“The emergence of China as global leader in the fields of technology and medicine is now the envy of most countries.

Prof. Ohene Adjei was grateful to the leadership of the Nanjing Medical University (NMC) and Wenzhou Medical College (WMC), its First Affiliated Hospital and the Beijing You’an Hospital for their warm reception and eagerness to share their experiences with KATH.

He said officials of the afore-mentioned medical institutions are expected to pay reciprocal visits to the hospital to finalize arrangements for the take-off of the agreements.

He also thanked Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Her Excellency Mrs. Helen Mamle Kofi and Mr. Charles Dwamena of the Ghana Medical Students Union in China for facilitating the trip.

The Medical Director of KATH, Dr. Baffour Awuah and Mr. Fred Mensah- Acheampong, head of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) Unit of the hospital were the other two members of the delegation to China.