Abirim (E/R), Dec. 16, GNA - The Newmont Golden Ridge Akyem Project,= a mining company based in Abirim, has presented medical equipment worth 400,000 dollars to the New Abirem Government Hospital. Some of the items will be given to the Holy Family Hospital, Nkawkaw= , Oda Government Hospital and three other health centres within the catchme= nts area of the Akyem Project at Afosu, Adausena and Ntronang. The items included gloves, oxygen masks and tubing, respiratory suppli= es, suction catheters and gloves, scrub brushes and skin prep sets, anaesthes= ia, resuscitators, chest tubes and drainage units, autoclave, steam desktop sterilizers and oxygen concentrators. The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, told the youth of the district not to abandon agriculture because of mining. He urged business men and women in the district to pool their resourc= es together and enter into partnership with others to invest in low cost hou= ses to rent them out to the expected 10,000 workers who would come to the district when mining starts. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo thanked Newmont Akyem Project for the equipment that would enable the hospital to be upgraded. He directed the district assembly to build a wall around the Abirim Senior High School to ensure the safety of the students with the influx o= f the expected large number of workers to the mines. Mr Felix Apoh, Community Development Manager of Newmont Akyem Project, said the items were donated by Project CURE, a non-governmental organization based in Denver, US, which is the largest donor of medical supplies in the world. Mr Apoh said in addition to the medical supplies, the company was building four-unit nurses' quarters for nurses who would be working at th= e hospital. The District Chief Executive, Mr Napoleon Amoako-Assiamah, said t= he District Assembly and Zoomlion had agreed to build a final disposal site for liquid and solid waste in the district.

The chief of Abirem, Nana Akwasi Amoh Kyeretwi I, appealed to the company to respect their promise to pay contract works within 30 days and=

urged the company to take a second look at their requirement that contractors of the company should have some years experience since that would end up in exclusion of the local contractors.