Ghana Football Association President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku led a powerful delegation of officials, Black Stars players and Technical team members to the ‘Heal Komfo Anokye’ project, spearheaded by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on Tuesday June 11, 2024.
The President led the team from the Ghana Football Association, including the Black Stars players, technical team and management members to show support and affection to patients at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), as they encouraged and wished them speedy recovery.
The visit also afforded the GFA President and his entourage the opportunity to witness and be briefed, at first hand, the mounting challenges facing the health facility.
The visit by the team follows Ghana's thrilling 4-3 win over Central African Republic (CAR) in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Monday June 10, 2024 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, to go top of Group I of the qualifiers.
Top officials of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, led the players and officials on a tour of the facility while interacting with patients in a heartwarming gesture.
President Simeon-Okraku admits the huge challenges confronting healthcare in Ghana, sharing his personal experiences after recently visiting three other healthcare facilities, acknowledging that the team has been touched by what they've seen.
"If you've had the chance to visit any health facility in Ghana, you will fully understand the situation in which we find ourselves as a country. Prior to these two games, I paid a visits to three medical facilities including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital maternity ward, Maamobi Polyclinic and Madina Hospital. I left those facilities with different perspectives of life," President Simeon-Okraku revealed.
"You had situations where mothers with fresh babies couldn't go home because they could not afford to pay as little as Ghc200." he reflected soberly.
The GFA President pledged the commitment of the Football Association to supporting the renovation of the biggest hospital in the Ashanti Region using the GFA Foundation as a vehicle to offer critically needed help.
"I think all the players and technical staff, who are all here, have heard the message. On behalf of the entire team, I want to assure you of our commitment towards honouring the call by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. Everybody here is naturally an ambassador. We have our images as a potential avenue for use in supporting such a worthy course. We'll never know who will be a beneficiary of this facility in future. It can be our good selves, families and friends amongst others. We have a lot of footballers who have used these facilities and continue to use them.
"We appreciate the call from Otumfuo, our father. He's always been there for us whenever we have needed him. He has been our spiritual head. He has attended a lot of our games and he's an icon we all look up to."
"Through the GFA Foundation, we will play our part and the message will pierce through the hearts of many. This is a firm commitment that we'll offer to this clarion call by Otumfuo. Actions, they say, speak louder than words, and football will speak with a much louder voice. Our presence here confirms our commitment. We'll confirm and affirm our support to the project, in due course." he concluded.
The ‘Heal Komfo Anokye’ project is an initiative of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to raise funds to renovate the deteriorating Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
The Asante King is seeking to raise $10 million for the refurbishment of the main ‘Gee’ block of the facility which serves as the main referral center for 12 out of the 16 regions of Ghana.
Despite its reputation for providing quality and affordable healthcare services and conducting groundbreaking research, KATH faces serious infrastructural challenges that affects service delivery.
President Simeon-Okraku led a delegation that included Vice-President Mark Addo as well as Executive Council members Frederick Acheampong, Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey, Black Stars Coach Otto Addo and Captain Thomas Partey, the technical team and the players of the Black Stars.