Dr Afriyie commissions 250m cedi clinic for Kordiabe

Kordiabe, July 4, GNA - Mr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health on Friday commissioned a 250 million cedi clinic for the people of Kordiabe in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region. Until then, the people and surrounding villages were receiving medical treatment at Dodowa and Ashaiman.

The World Vision International (WVI) started the construction of the "Saint Andrew's Clinic" with an amount of 45 million cedis in the late 1980's, continued by the UNFPA and completed by the Catholic Church. The Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, Priest in-charge of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church at Tema Community, was instrumental in the completion of the project.

Dr Afriyie commended the Catholic Church for its immense contribution to developments in the country and said the government is supportive of collaboration of the efforts of the communities in nation building. He said the government is concentrating on the private sector in health care delivery to ensure that a larger community, especially the deprived areas had access to health care and would therefore assist with the requisite equipment and other supplies.

It is the expectation that the private sector enjoys about 60 percent expenditure in the health care delivery over the next ten years and the focus should be on preventive health care delivery. Dr Afriyie gave the assurance that the Ministry of Health (MOH) would assist the Catholic Church to continue with its developmental programmes to benefit a larger community.

His Grace, Most Reverend Dominic Kodwo Andoh, Archbishop of Accra diocese charged the chief of the town to ensure that the people nurture it to expand in order to benefit present and succeeding generation. Mr Mike Gizo, MP for Osudoku constituency where the clinic is built pledged 10 million of his share of the MPs Common Fund towards the development of the clinic, which has an antenatal, consulting, dispensary, a ward with eight beds and maternity ward. Mother Annie Palathingal, Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Family Sisters in India announced that two Sisters, who are nurses would be attached to the clinic, while a third person would work in a school at Kordiabe.

Mr Paul Victor Obeng, former Presidential Advisor in the PNDC regime chaired the function, which realised 26.5 million cedis during an appeal for funds in aid of a vehicle for the clinic.