Clinic and maternity home inaugurated at Wassa Nkran

Wassa Nkran(W/R), Dec.16, GNA - A 115 million cedis Clinic and Maternity Home built by the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church was inaugurated at Wassa Nkran near Tarkwa on Thursday. The clinic which has men, women and labour wards, lying room, out patients department, a laboratory and dispensary, will serve more than 16 communities that had to access health care at Wassa Aboso about 17 kilometers away.

Tarkwa East District of the South West Ghana Conference of the Church financed the project while the community assisted with communal labour.

Mr Albert Kwaku Obbin, Member of Parliament for Prestea Huni-Valley constituency, commended the Church for the clinic and said; "SDA church is development oriented, addresses both physical and spiritual needs of its congregation."

He noted that in the past churches undertook development projects but this had not been the situation recently but the establishment of the clinic was an indication that the church would partner the Government to embark on its socio-economic development programme. "This gesture falls within the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) a document which seeks to address problems on education, health and sanitation," He added.

Mr Obbin noted that the exodus of Nurses and Doctors from the country had made the workload tedious for the remaining few and what made the situation worse was lack of social amenities to attract the few health professionals to these less endowed communities and appealed to the health professionals to sacrifice for the benefit of the rural dwellers.

He said Wassa Nkran had been selected for electrification project while Wassa Esikuma was also selected for the Government's free-food programme for schools within the Constituency. On accommodation for the health professionals, Mr Obbin said negotiations would be made with the Wassa West District Assembly to incorporate provision of their accommodation in the Assembly's budget. Mr Ebo Kesse, Wassa West District Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) who read an address on behalf of the DCE, said the church complement Government's efforts in socio-economic development.

He noted that people who had registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the town was not encouraging and appealed to the people not to politicise the NHIS but register to access more improved health care delivery.

Mrs Caroline Otoo, a Senior Nursing Officer, said Making Pregnancy Safer project, aimed at preventing maternal deaths, had been introduced in the district and would be extended to the community. She promised to send some nurses to the community to assist other health personnel in the clinic.

Mrs Otoo advised the people to assist to maintain facilities at the clinic and assist health personnel posted to the town. Osagyefo Kwamina Enimil, Paramount Chief of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, pledged the support of the Traditional Council to maintain the clinic.

Pastor Stephen Atta Poku, the Tarkwa East SDA District Pastor said the church was development-oriented and would extend development to areas where it had a branch. He said the clinic was the brainchild of some elders of the church in 2001 and with the assistance of the community the dream had been made a reality.

"Although the church encountered financial problems but with the support of the chiefs and the people they managed to complete the clinic, " He added. 16 Dec.05