Drobo (BA), May 26, GNA - Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the weekend urged Ghanaians to renew their communal spirit, which had been a motivating factor for self-help projects in their localities. "We should all resolve to do something to help our communities. We should cultivate a spirit of selflessness and dedication to our communities," he said.

Vice President Mahama was speaking at the belated 50th anniversary celebration of the St. Mary's Hospital at Drobo in the Jaman South District of the Brong Ahafo Region, which was on the theme: Sustaining Quality Health Care Delivery in St Mary's Hospital- The Way Forward". The celebration should have been held in 2002, since the Drobo Traditional Council in collaboration with the Catholic Church established the Hospital in 1952.

Vice President Mahama asked the hospital authorities to liaise with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to deliver efficient and timely services to registered members. "I say this in the full knowledge that teething problems and other constraints may affect implementation, but I will urge you to adopt measures to enhance the welfare of patients." The Vice President asked the citizenry to embrace the NHIS in order to enjoy affordable and accessible health care services. He said by 2006, the scheme had registered over 41,000 premium holders.

Vice President Mahama said the Jaman South District Assembly had sunk 650 million cedis to extend the local NHIS office to boost the efficiency of the scheme. He noted that after the renovation the office would be networked with the national headquarters and would be among the best 39 schemes in Ghana.

Vice President Mahama said government was emphasising preventive instead of curative measures in healthcare delivery hence the provision of potable water, sanitation nutrition among other measures to the people.

Major Courage Quashigah (RTD), whose speech was read on his behalf, said it was heart warming that the Catholic Church had provided seven hospitals and other medical facilities to the Region. Government, he said was providing the Hospital with an emergency ward.

Ms Anna Nyamekye, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Jaman South pledged 100 million cedis from her share of the MPs' Common Fund to support the provision of a mortuary for the Hospital.

Most Reverend George Kochery, Papal Nuncio, said the Catholic Church had provided over 22,000 hospitals and clinics worldwide. He said the St Mary's Hospital had grown into a big medical centre with modern equipment, where people found healing and consolation. Rev. Father Dominic Yaw Assuahene, Acting Administrator at the Hospital noted that the health facility, which caters for a number of patients including people from Cote d'Ivoire had a general ward, which had been partitioned with curtains to serve as male, female and children wards as well as surgical, isolation and fever wards. This, he said offered no privacy for staff and patients and also undermined quality health care delivery. Rev. Fr. Assuahene said erratic electricity supply was also affecting the operations of vital equipment such as x-ray, scanning machines and theatre equipment.

Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani expressed concern about the bureaucracy associated with the refund of funds used to treat patients under the NHIS and asked government to help reverse the trend. He said the Catholic Health Service had to borrow money from the banks with interest to pay for their expenditure. Mr Timothy Obeng, Chief Executive Officer of the Export Development and Investment Fund, who chaired the function, advocated the establishment of a local nursing and midwifery school.