Apam (C/R), Dec 30, GNA - The defunct Enrolled Nurses Training School attached to the Apam Catholic Hospital is to be reactivated and upgraded to train nurses for the hospital and other health facilities in the country. Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa West District Chief Executive stated this in a speech read by Mr Peter Antwi Boasiako, District Co-ordinating Director, at the launch of the Golden Jubilee of Apam Catholic Hospital at Apam.

The hospital was established in 1959 by three Dutch Reverend Sisters of the Catholic Church who were in the country to evangelize. Mr Aidoo-Mensah said the Assembly was concerned with the health of its people and would do everything to promote the training of nurses and other health personnel to provide quality healthcare for the people. He said because of the importance the Assembly attached to health delivery, it had lobbied the Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP) and the Social Investment Fund (SIF) to put up five projects, a laboratory, post-natal ward, surgical ward, mothers' hostel and staff quarters at the hospital which were expected to be completed in the early part of 2010. Dr Ebenezer Amekah, Medical Superintendent, said the hospital had been selected as one of the sentinel sites for George Bush's Presidential Malaria Initiative Programme in Ghana together with other health facilities at Mamprobi, Mampong, Gushiegu and Kintampo.

He said since 2008, the hospital had been feeding the programme in America with reports on the malaria situation in the area. Dr Amekah commended the external partners of the hospital, especially General Electric (GE) of the USA, the United Methodist Church, Aldersgate Pennsylvania, USA, whose contributions had brought the hospital this far. He appealed to concerned organizations, District assemblies and donor agencies to help the hospital to address its acute water problem and accommodation for staff.

The Medical Officer said only 40 out of the 150 staff resided at the hospital, and that the chunk of revenue generated went into the supply of water.

The Auxiliary Bishop of the Cape Coast Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, The Right Reverend Matthias Kobena Nketiah, who launched the Jubilee to be celebrated next year, said the church was using health delivery as part of its evangelization programme to make people feel the love of God and to glorify Him.

The Bishop urged workers of health facilities to make the love of God manifest in their health delivery activities, emphasising "You must make people to see God at your facilities."