The First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, says the health of the people continues to be central to the government’s transformational agenda, which is the reason why it has embarked on expanding infrastructure, in existing health facilities.

“We are building new ones, and retooling regional and district hospitals, with state of the art equipment,” Mrs Mahama said at the Navrongo in the Upper East Region where she presented medical supplies and equipment to the War Memorial Hospital.

She said government would continue to work in cooperation with other organisations, to support ideas, that would specially, assist the underprivileged in gaining access to quality healthcare.

“Today’s donation forms part of the Lordina Foundation’s nationwide medical mission, which has taken us to nine regions, this is the 10th and last region, to support health facilities, in mainly deprived communities in the country” she told the gathering of chiefs and people as well as health personnel at a durbar held in her honour.

She commended doctors, nurses and other health professionals, for their dedication to duty in providing quality healthcare to the residents of Navrongo and its environs.

“Our communities appreciate the efforts of our health professionals, and government will do all in its power, to continue to motivate you, to give off your best. This will help achieve government’s social obligation of protecting the health of our citizens,” she said.

Mrs Mahama said the goal of the Lordina Foundation has expanded beyond the initial focus on orphanages, and the vulnerable in the society into strong medical charity programmes all aimed at improving general health and saving lives.

“This we believe is an important complement, to achieving government’s vision of health for all.”

Touching on the upcoming elections, Mrs Mahama pleaded with traditional rulers and the elders to advise the youth not to get themselves involved in violent acts, as the elections approaches adding: “I am saying this because I am a mother, and when there is a conflict, women and children always suffer the most.

“In Ghana, if there is anything we must be proud of, it is the peace we have maintained in this country, even with our religious and ethnic differences,” she said.

She said her “End Child Marriage,” campaign launched earlier this year, is to help end child marriage, which is an obnoxious tradition that has no place in the enlightened 21st century world, and could not be mitigated by any cultural justification.

“Together we must work to change outmoded customs, to promote empowerment, equality and opportunity. These girls deserve a better future. We can end child marriage in our time.”

“Child marriage is a violation of human rights, and is equivalent to enslavement, sexual exploitation, and violence against its victims.

“Since they have no power to resist sex, or insist on condom use, child brides are often exposed to such serious health risks, such as premature pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, like syphilis, HIV and AIDS.

“To this end, efforts to bring about cultural, traditional and social reforms, against the practice of child- marriages, must be the concern of all of us, including you my dear chiefs and elders.”

She acknowledged Medshare, USA and other sponsors for their support to the Foundation that had made it possible to alleviate the plight of the vulnerable and underserved in Ghana.

Dr Kofi Issah, District Health Director of the War Memorial Hospital who received the equipment on behalf of the Hospital described the facility as one of the premier hospitals in the region and the country at large that used to treat soldiers who returned from the World War II, thus its name “War Memorial Hospital”.

He said the hospital continues to play such significant role in the health provision of the people in the region and so the surgical and anaesthetics equipment donated by the First Lady would go a long way to enable health authorities provide the needed health care to the people.