Healthcare delivery in the Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency has been given a boost after major interventions instituted by the MP of the area, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
The MP, on Friday, January 12, 2018, donated medical equipment worth over GHC200, 000 to eight (8) health centres located in Ayirebi, Brenasi and Otwereso, Akokoaso, Gyaha, Anyinase, Abenase and Ofoase communities within his jurisdiction.
The items included, wheelchairs, bandages, operation kits, gloves, drips, beds, patient lifts, lab test equipment among others.
The medical items according to Oppong Nkrumah will improve healthcare delivery in his constituency and result in better quality healthcare for the over 100, 000 people living within the constituency.
This donation according to him, forms part of his strategic plan to make health care delivery in the constituency one of the best in the country.
The plan he detailed comes in three phases; The upgrading of 8 medical centres which is expected to end by the middle of 2018, the provision of critical medical goods of which the donation forms a part and the provision of critical staff to the health facilities in his constituency.
“Our health situation is very deplorable, the statistics are very heart-breaking and there are three main interventions that we have put in place.
One is to provide the necessary infrastructure, provide the critical logistics and three ensure we have the critical health personnel here. For the healthcare infrastructure that’s why we are investing so much so that by the middle of 2018 we would have refurbished our 8 health centres, we would have provided a lot more critical logistics and the exercise to bring in critical staff would have reached its pinnacle by that time and it is to ensure that the very very dire situation we met when we assumed office is attended to as soon as possible” he stressed
The Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency located in the Akyemansa District of the Eastern Region lacks a doctor or a hospital.
However, as part of the strategic plan to improve the health of the people, the MP has facilitated the posting of two Physician Assistants to the constituency with two more and a doctor expected before the end of the year.
He added “the office of the Member of Parliament and the office of the DCE, have come together to embark on a medical improvement project which is in three phases, the first phases is to upgrade 8 medical centres; Akokoaso, Brenasi, Ofoase, Ayirebi, Gyaha, Abenase, Anyinase and Otwereso as I speak to you here currently, work is almost completed at the Brenasi medical centre and at the Ayirebi medical center. Contractors are just starting work at the Otwereso medical centre as well and when they are done the remaining five medical centres will also be attended to"
The items were procured in collaboration with a donor partner, Nana’s Project, an NGO based in the US with focus on healthcare.
The founder of Nana's Project, Nana Yaa konadu Asare said that it was a great pleasure to be part of the process of improving the healthcare situation of the people.
She pledged to continue to support the efforts of the Oppong Nkrumah and the district in their bid to better the quality of healthcare service delivery.
“We Would like to be able to provide good healthcare to all. We want that if you go to any of the hospitals here, you should be able to have same and exact care as you would at another, so consistency and getting the hospital to have the tools they need to be successful. Even if we are able to reach half of the 100, 000 people we have done something” she remarked.
The medical items were handed over during a short ceremony held in the constituency which saw the gathering of Chiefs, Medical officers, party officials and members of the constituency.
The gesture follows several others already undertaken during his first year in office as the MP committed himself to do much more than has already been done.
The Health Director and other medical officials present were delighted with the donation describing it as unprecedented.
Engulfed in excited they hailed the timely donation by Oppong Nkrumah and assured him and the donors of ensuring the materials are well kept and maintained.
“So far as I know this is the second time of donating different items to the health services by Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah under his health intervention programme. Each time items donated help to make progress of breakthrough in service delivery in the district. It gives me great joy to be associated with this historical event. All of us here are privileged to be part of an event that will change the delivery of healthcare in this district forever” the Health Director of Akye Mansa, Gifty Sunu stressed
The beneficiary communities of the intervention programme are Ayirebi, Brenasi, Otwereso, Akokoaso, Gyaha and Anyinase, Abenase and Ofoase.