Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has arguably some of the best doctors and specialists in Ghana—it’s in fact the only single place that can afford the brilliance of the best specialists and sophisticated medical equipment in Ghana. But mention the name and a lot of Ghanaians would still prefer a private option.
And this is because, the century old notion of private sector institutions being better than government owned facilities still dwell with Ghanaians. Of course, this notion is not held in absolute detachment from reality—being that, the ethics of those who work for government health centres including Korle-Bu are somewhat unpardonable.
It’s not a matter of incompetence, because some of these same people if met in private hospitals as consultants or ordinary workers render completely competent healthcare services, backed by high ethical considerations.
Korle-Bu’s underlying problem, therefore, has never been truly an issue of incompetence or lack of the needed medical facilities. Rather, it’s been a matter of a long standing institutional “piss take” where even the lowest healthcare professionals seemingly can’t be bothered as to the level of service being administered.
In simple terms; Korle-Bu swims in an administrative deficit—this is why the private sector excellence of Dr. Felix Anyah is needed to shake up the place and perch it with the quality of healthcare in the private sector.
Dr. Anyah is a man who has not just proven his executive excellence to Ghanaians with a tall list of industry awards but founded the Holy Trinity Hospital, one of the first choice hospitals of those who run away from Korle-Bu’s clumsiness.
Korle-Bu is a far bigger hospital with complex layers and unhelping bureaucratic structures, compared to the super-efficient Holy Trinity Hospital. But at least Dr Anyah has worked on a small prototype, an experience capable of being smoothly transferred to get Korle-Bu to work again. That’s why his appointment by President Akufo Addo comes with the needed sense of hope for those of us who so much want the largest health facility in Ghana to live to its purpose.
It’s not just the hopefuls who are excited about Dr. Anyah’s appointment, staff at Korle-Bu, an institution that’s said to play politics with everything have somewhat reached a consensus, that they are ready to work with Anyah.
“Korle Bu Senior Staff Association of Ghana (KOSSA) have giving their seal of approval to the appointment of the experienced Dr Felix Anyah as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital,” GhanaCelebrities.Com reported.
Speaking to Citi News, President of KOSSA, Charles Offei-Palm, said everything they’ve learnt about Dr Anyah indicates he would do a fine job.
“We fight CEOs who mismanage our funds, those who don’t follow processes and procedure, those who chop the money of Korle-Bu to see patients die.” he said.
“Looking at his [Dr. Anyah] background and his knowledge in healthcare delivery, we believe strongly that he can turn Korle-Bu around and so we are hoping to work with him to bring Korle-Bu to the standard we all want it to be,” he added.
Of course, this is not the first national appointment Dr Anyah has received, albeit the highest. Dr. Anyah was in 2015 appointed Chairman of the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HEFRA) – a rare privilege and honour for a private medical practitioner to be appointed by the government to head a new Statutory Public Agency for regulation and licensing of all health facilities in Ghana.
And despite the challenges, his achievements at HEFRA reaffirms his excellence, an indication that Korle-Bu under his administration will surely change.
Beside a track record of excellence, Dr. Anyah has a lot to lose if he fumbles at post. And as his friend, I know how much he cares about his reputation, especially when it has taken him decades and has had to work through different layers of difficulties to amass them.
If nothing at all, as an accomplished administrator whose world class facilities have won numerous awards, Dr Anyah is a shrewd appointment by Akufo Addo and certainly he will make an impact.
At the public-health sector front, Anyah has been instrumental in healthcare delivery in Ghana. In 2003, as a member of the Ghana Medical & Dental Council – a statutory body for the regulation of medical practice in Ghana, he researched, published and advocated for professional ethical advertising for medical practitioners. This positively changed the early very conservative position of the Council against professional advertising by doctors in Ghana.
In 2007, Dr. Anyah won a landmark case in medical jurisprudence in court against the Government of Ghana (Value Added Tax), on the payment of VAT by his novel Health SPA by using the WHO definition of Health – “a state physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing and not only absence of disease” – This judgement has since widened the view of ill-health by practitioners, policy makers and parliament who earlier emphasized physical diseases.
Dr. Anyah has been a role model and counsellor for young doctors on ethics, business and success in medical practice – shaped by his several awards of excellence in business;
–Ghana Golden Jubilee Business and Financial Excellence (GOLD) Award – (National Award) Ministry of Trade, Industry President Special Initiative(PSI); (PSD) (2007)
–Leader in the Private Medical Sector Award in Ghana, 2003 and
–Leader of the Health Sector Award, 2009
–1st Ghana Business & Financial Service & Excellence Awards (Gold Award) (2008)
–Best Entrepreneur Health Services Award (2011)
Dr. Anyah’s belief in faith-healing and other alternative and complementary medicine together with his success as an orthodox medical practitioner influenced his leadership role in intergrative healthcare and has made him the “Father” of Integrative Medicine in Ghana.
His plush, riverbank Holy Trinity SPA offers integrative medicine in the care of several ill-health including physical addictions to cocaine, heroin, alcohol, mood disorders, obesity, stress management, health vacation, wellness, aesthetic medicine, convalescence and healthy lifestyle conferencing. The SPA is a major Health/Medical Tourism destination in West Africa, with several awards including:
–The “Most Patronized Medical Tourism Destination in West Africa” (2010) by the New Ghanaian Magazine (2010)
–The “Best” Health/Medical Tourism Destination in West Africa by the West Africa Magazine (2008)
–On 26 May 2017, Dr. Anyah shall be receiving award as one of TOP 100 Tourism Personality in West Africa.
The pioneering role by Dr. Anyah in wellness in Ghana has been rewarded with the;
–Special Award for promotion of a Healthy Society in Ghana by the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners (2008)
–National Honour – Contribution to Primary Health Care in Ghana b y Ghana Employers Association (1998)
–Nelson Mandela Gold Award for Exemplary Leadership & Transparent Virtues (2008)
–Golden Star Award for Exemplary Leadership in Health Delivery in West Africa (2008)
–Kwame Nkrumah Outstanding Merit – Africa Leadership Award by West Africa Magazine (2004).
As a medical practitioner, Dr. Anyah has received several recognitions of excellence including:
–Life Time Achievement In Medical Practice In Ghana (Pillars of Modern Ghana Awards) (2015)
–Hall of Fame Inductee- Medical & Health Services Honours of the year 2015 (presented by Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana in 2016)
–People’s Choice Practitioners Award-Outstanding Private Health Facility Honours of the year 2017 (presented by Media Men Ghana)
–Made in Ghana Awards- Business Support Health Services of the year 2015 (presented by Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana in 2016)
–Best Integrative Medicine Provider of the year 2015 (presented by The Business Executive Excellence Awards (2016)
–Best Health Spa Facility in West Africa of the year 2015 (Gold Category) – Presented by The International Star Quality Awards in 2016
–Excellent Service for Security, Peace and Safety in Africa and for an incisive – Security Watch (Nigeria) (2009)