Accra, July 28, GNA - The Ministry of Health on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Red Crescent of Iran to rehabilitate the National Prosthetics and Orthotics Centre (Limb Fitting Centre).

The MOU includes the training of 10 staff of the Centre at a cost of 60,000 to 80,000 dollars every year. Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), Minister of Health, who signed on behalf of Ministry, said the Centre would be relocated in the near future from the premises of the headquarters of the Ghana Health Service.

He said Iran would also relocate Iran Clinic at Ashalley Botwe in Accra for expansion.

The Minister said during a visit to Iran, he and his team saw vast improvements in their health infrastructure, pharmaceutical manufacturing and traditional medicine and noted that, it was important for Ghana to emulate this.

"Over 97 per cent of Iran pharmaceutical products are produced locally and that is what we want Ghana to also achieve." Dr Seyed Massoud Khartani, President of Iran Red Crescent, a member of the International Red Society, said the rehabilitation of the Limb Fitting Centre and training of staff and would be at the cost of Iran. He said Iran had provided 41 equipped ambulances to the Ghana National Ambulance Service when it initially started and had also provided 100,000 dollars worth of equipment for maintenance of the ambulances.

The Iranian Ambassador, Valiollah Mohammadi said he was pleased that the collaboration between the two countries had been fruitful and expressed the hope that the bilateral relationship between the two countries would be further strengthened. 28 July 08