Ajumako-Kokoben to become African health care hub

A 100-acre land has been acquired at Ajumako-Kokoben in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region for the construction of a training health care hub.

The institution, which will comprise hospitals, research laboratories and other medical facilities, when completed, will become a centre for the training of health practitioners across Africa, in various health care disciplines.

It is an initiative of the Christian Healthcare Training School (CHTS), a private nursing training school at Breman Asikuma in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Dristict, with funding from the Indian Health Care Institute at an estimated cost of six million dollars

The project which will also receive technical support from Max Health Care Institute, a global health care organisation, is scheduled to start next year and completed in 2019.

The Chief Executive Director of CHTS, Mr. Noah Kwesi Mends, made this known on Tuesday when the school's Board of Directors paid a courtesy call on the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah at his residency in Cape Coast.

The visit was to officially introduce the school, and outline its plans to the Central Regional Coordinating Council, as well as seek its support in undertaking the project.

Mr. Mends said, the Board aimed among others, to support Government's Agenda in promoting health care training in the country, and had, in line with this, partnered India to help boost health care delivery in the country.

He appealed to government to support the initiative, which he noted, would go a long way to give the country's healthcare system, a face lift.

Mr. Quansah commended the initiative, saying such partnerships, particularly in health care delivery, training and infrastructure were always welcomed.

He condemned the establishment of healthcare schools without the requisite accreditation and documentation, adding that "school is not only about building facilities".

He urged the school to collaborate with the Government Nursing Training Schools in the region to share ideas and tap from their experience.

CHTS was established in 2007 but accredited in 2011 by the National Allied Health Professionals Council of Ghana and the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), and currently has 150 students pursuing various certificate courses in health care delivery .

Application for accreditation from the National Nurses and Midwifery Council to run other courses was pending.