Awutu Chiefs promise to offer land for health facilities

Awutu Beraku (C/R), Feb. 16, GNA - The Awutu Traditional Council has promised to release enough land at no cost for the construction of a permanent hospital and nurses quarters at Awutu Beraku any time the government was ready.

Currently, the health facility at the newly created district capital is a Health Centre, resulting in serious cases being referred to the Winneba Government Hospital or the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Nai Kwau Kurabi Clottey III, Omankrado of the Awutu Traditional Council, made the promise at the first Annual Performance Review meeting of the Ghana Health Service in the Awutu-Senya District. He said the council would ensure that illegal land developers around the Kasoa Health Centre were ejected to give room for its expansion.

In her annual report, the District Director of Health Service (DDHS), Mrs Patricia Bainson, said records from the 22 health facilities in the district indicated that malaria topped their Out Patients Department (OPD) attendance.

She said in the year 2008, malaria cases from these facilities were 32,022 representing 35 percent of the total number of cases reported at the OPDs.

According to Mrs Bainson tract infections, hypertension and diarrhoea followed and said that hypertension could easily kill. But, she stressed, hypertension could be prevented if Ghanaians would change their eating habits.

It would also help to frequently exercise the body, she noted. Mrs Bainson mentioned insufficient furniture and lack of transport as some of the problems facing the facilities. She advised the people to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme to enable them to receive affordable health care delivery.