On June 11, 2024, Ghana Football Association President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku led a delegation of officials, Black Stars players, and technical staff members visited the “Heal Komfo Anokye” project, spearheaded by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
They offered compassion and affection to patients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), encouraging and wishing them a speedy recovery.
The visit also allowed the GFA President and his entourage to witness and get firsthand information on the health facility’s rising issues.
The team’s visit comes after Ghana’s stunning 4-3 triumph over Central African Republic (CAR) in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Monday, June 10, 2024, at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, which propelled the country to the top of Group I.
Top officials from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital escorted the players and authorities on a tour of the institution, meeting with patients in a heartwarming manner.
Okraku acknowledged the enormous issues that healthcare in Ghana faces, expressing his personal experiences after recently visiting three additional hospital facilities, stating that the team has been moved by what they have observed.
“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 visit 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,” 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.
