MTN Foundation on Thursday handed over a refurbished Health Centre at Zuarungu near Bolgatanga to the Municipal Health Directorate as part of its corporate social responsibility to promote quality health care in the Upper East Region.

The Health centre which was renovated at a cost of GHc231,000, has been upgraded to a model health centre with a mechanized borehole attached, to improve services.

Mr Robert Kuzoe, Senior Manager of MTN Foundation said at the commissioning ceremony that MTN Foundation gave a listening ear to the people’s request to rehabilitate the clinic, which was in a deplorable state, to provide quality healthcare to the people of Zuarungu and its environs.

Mr Kuzoe, said the strategic location of the clinic could not be overemphasized and added that it brought essential health services, particularly maternal and child care, to the door steps of about 14,000 people and that the Foundation had spent about GHc13 million on similar projects in various parts of the country.

He mentioned other interventions of MTN Foundation such as the provision of incubators, construction of CHIPs compounds and the provision of ICT centres for schools.

Dr Mensah Afful, Municipal Director of Health commended MTN and assured the Foundation that the Directorate would include the facility in its annual planned preventive and maintenance schedules to prolong the life-span of the facility. He asked the Foundation to consider providing other facilities to support the Region.

Dr Afful announced the spread of YAWS, a bacteria spread through poor personal hygiene, in the area and assured the people that the facility would organize free testing and treatment for the local communities.

He indicated that 57 of such cases were recorded in 2012, and 85 in the last two years, and urged the people to observe strict personal hygiene to avoid the bacteria.

Naba Charles Azibaalam, Chief of Zuarungu whose speech was read by Mr Peter Agambire, expressed gratitude to MTN Foundation and recalled that the facility was established since 1978 because of the crucial health services it rendered to the people of Zuarungu and its environs.

He appealed to MTN, the Government and NGOs to consider upgrading the facility to the status of a polyclinic to cater for more people in the neighboring communities, and also to assist construct a nurses’ quarters for the staff who worked in the clinic.

He further appealed for the fencing of the facility and tarring of the road to protect the facility from dust.