Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central has handed over the first phase of the renovated Ayirebe Health Center to the community and the management of the center at Ayirebi in Akyemansa District.

The GH¢ 35,000 renovation works include the rehabilitation of the sewage system of the clinic, rehabilitation of the septic tank, tilling of the maternity unit, painting of the whole facility and the provision of some medical equipment to the maternity unit of the clinic.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the outgoing President of the Club, Mr Benard Gyebi said the project was expected to help reduce child and maternal mortality in the area.

He said handing over of the first phase would empower the Club and its partners to mobilize quickly and take on the remaining part of the project to positively touch the lives of the people of Ayirebi and all those communities that depend on the health center for their medical care.

Mr Gyebi said the Club was able to complete the project with financial support from Saham Life Insurance, Saham General Insurance, Sulana Electrical Engineering Works and Alhaji M. S. Suleman.

Mr Gideon Eyiah, the Leader of Ayirebi Sub-Health District, said for the first quarter of the year, out of the 341 deliveries in the area, 18 percent occurred at the Ayirebi Health Center and 14 percent deliveries were in the home. He attributed the low supervised delivery to the facility at the Ayirebi Health Center and the low level of staff.

Mr Eyian appealed to opinion leaders and traditional authorities in the area to educate women in their communities to attend ante natal clinic when pregnant. He expressed his appreciation to the Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central for being the first organization out of the many that the clinic management and the community appealed to for support to rehabilitate the clinic.

Nana Asaproh who represented the chief of Ayirebi and chaired the function, said the community had cast 2,000 cement blocks for expansion of the Health Center.