Abor (V/R), August 10, GNA - The Sacred Heart Hospital has launched a programme to mark its 50th anniversary on Tuesday at Abor near Akatsi in the Volta Region.

The hospital, which begun as an infirmary in 1954, later became a clinic set up by a group of Canadian Catholic Missionaries and was finally upgraded to a full hospital status in 1997.

Mr Christian Brown, Executive Secretary, Diocesan Health Services of the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese of the Catholic Church, who launched the programme recounted how in 1992, 13 out of 63 accident victims who were rushed to the centre died, as the demand was beyond the scope of the centre.

Mr Brown said the Canadian Missionaries later moved to Dzodze where they built the St. Anthony's Hospital, following the refusal of the landowners at Abor to release extra land for the hospital.

He said similar to the pressure on the Canadian Missionaries by the local community for health care, resulting in the building of the infirmary in 1954, pressure on the Abor Clinic became unbearable in view of the numerous emergency situations in 1988-90s.

He appealed to the management and staff to work hard to further raise the hospital's image just as the missionaries did to raise the centre to a hospital by the Government in 1997.

Mr Dan Abodakpi, Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta who donated five million cedis on behalf of the Keta Constituency Development Association (KEKODA) towards the Golden Jubilee celebration said he was personally involved in efforts towards the upgrading of the centre to a hospital.

He said he was moved in 1995, when a young accident victim he rushed to the St. Anthony Hospital at Dzodze, after their first call at Abor Clinic failed to save the situation, died on arrival.

Dr Pius Mensah, Medical Officer in charge said the 92-bed hospital has total staff strength of 96 including one doctor, a laboratory, x-ray department, operating theatres, a mortuary and other facilities, saying, about 300,000 patients were treated at the hospital in the past six years.

Meanwhile, work has began on the construction of a one billion-cedi jubilee quarters for the staff in addition to intensive renovation and expansion works at the hospital in preparation for the celebrations in October, this year.