Thomas Ampem Nyarko, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Asuogyaman Constituency, has commissioned a clinic for residents of Powmu in the Eastern Region.

The GHS 1.3 million facility has a laboratory and accounts department, a records room, an injection room, a labor ward, a maternity dispensary, changing rooms, a consulting room, pediatric wards, an obstetric ward, male and female surgical wards, a kitchen, and washrooms, among others.

The facility, whose construction was initiated by the MP with funding from the Duston Group of Companies, is equipped to provide a wide range of essential health services.

The health facility is to bring quality healthcare to the doorsteps of the people of the Powmu community and its environs.

Aside from enhancing patient comfort and safety, the clinic will help reduce the burden on the only referral hospital in the region, the Volta River Authority (VRA) Hospital in Akosombo, and other health facilities in the district.

Members of the community, through a self-help initiative, began the construction of the facility to serve the thousands of residents but couldn’t go beyond the foundation stage until 2021, when the lawmaker intervened.

Thomas Ampem Nyarko, in an interview after the event, expressed his gratitude to the Duston Group of Companies for the excellent job done.

Underscoring the critical role the facility will play, the MP stated, “The health center is equipped with a lot of modern facilities; there’s a very good laboratory in there that’ll help serve the people that’ll visit the place first.”

He commended the locals for their self-help spirit exhibited during the construction of the clinic, adding that their actions have made them stakeholders in its proper maintenance.

The legislator also thanked the Asuogyaman Health Directorate and retired professionals for their support in diverse ways to ensure the completion of the project.

The lawmaker has undertaken similar developmental projects, including a three-unit classroom block at Labolabo, a teachers’ bungalow at Adjena Senior High School, and road projects, amongst others.

Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, emphasized the critical role health delivery plays in society.

The traditional ruler charged the staff of the facility to observe universal precautions and treat the patients who visit the place for healthcare assistance with dignity to ensure that they receive the necessary treatment.

He charged the members of the community to protect the facility by maintaining its integrity to ensure that it lasts long enough to serve its purpose.

Rebecca Dede Bantey, Asuogyaman District Director of Health Services, indicated on her part that the project, among others, would serve as a commitment to the ongoing mission of Network of Practice (NOP), a strategy being adopted by the Ghana Health Service to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the primary level with a focus on improving quality health services through partnership and innovation.

The strategy, she added, involves creating networks of health facilities within a defined geographical area to provide comprehensive health services.

Explaining further, she said, “One health centre within a network will be well equipped to become the model health centre (HUB). All other healthcare delivery entities then become the spokes (the model of the bicycle tire).”

She was optimistic that the new Powmu Health Center could become the hub for another network within the district in the near future.

Richard Donkor, a project contractor with MCL Ghana, noted that labour was recruited from the local community for the construction of the hospital.

He, however, mentioned mobilization of materials from Accra and unfavourable inflation figures as challenges encountered during the project.

Despite the difficulties, he expressed satisfaction at the quality of work done, adding that all the scope of work outlined in the contract had been successfully completed.