Ankaase (Ash), July 15, GNA - The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has clinched a deal with chiefs for land acquisition on concessionary terms for health professionals to build houses in Kumasi and its surrounding area.

Dr Kofi Asare, Ashanti Regional Director of the GHS, mentioned Asenua, Atwima-Agogo and Ohwim as areas where agreements had been reached while negotiations were on going at Atrama. He said the GHS was also arranging for them to put up the houses through mortgage.

Dr Asare was speaking at the inauguration of the Ankaase Methodist Faith Healing Hospital in the Kwabre District as a baby friendly facility.

An ambulance service and four staff bungalows were also inaugurated commissioned by the Most Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church for the Hospital. The Regional Director said he hoped the various interventions introduced to make conditions of service attractive would motivate the health professionals to stay in the country to abate the brain drain crippling the health sector.

He expressed satisfaction with the installation of a soya milk production machine by the hospital to help provide affordable nutritional supplement for malnourished children in the area. The Most Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah said he was happy about the progress made by the hospital within the last six years as a result of effective collaboration between the Church and the Mission Society of United Methodist in the US.

He said to further strengthen the partnership the two had signed a new Memorandum of Understanding.

Dr Cameron Gongwers, Medical Superintendent in charge of the hospital, said the staff strength had grown over the last six years from 13 to 57. The number of beds has shot up from 23 to 60 and in-patients climbing from 350 to 1,145.

The hospital now does its own pharmacy mixtures, has installed an automatic X-ray, provide services in heart testing, endoscopy, ultrasound scan, improved laboratory services and surgery.

Dr Gongwers said, "As we look forward, we see the Ankaase Hospital becoming a centre for medical and nursing education, training and research".

"We see opportunities for medical and surgical specialists to provide quality education for health professionals in training". The Medical Superintendent asked the church to help train more nurses and adequate accommodation to keep pace with its growth. Alhaji Akwasi Yeboah, the District Chief Executive, praised the Methodist Church for its tremendous role in the provision of social services particularly to deprived rural communities. 15 July 04