The Central Regional Health Directorate on Tuesday took delivery of some clinical equipment and four ambulances donated by the USAID Focus Region Health Project and the Ghana Health Service at a short ceremony in Cape Coast.

The equipment, worth $350,000, include stethoscope, blood pressure apparatus, delivery sets and tables, weighing scales, lights, autoclaves and examination tables, would be distributed to all the 17 districts in the region.

The occasion was also used to launch the two new vaccines, Pneumococcal vaccines and Rotavirus vaccines, which were recently introduced by the Ghana Health Service to combat pneumonia and diarrhoea as well as augment the routine expanded immunization programme in Ghana.

Ms. Susan Wright, in charge of Family Planning, Maternal and child health care who presented the items on behalf of USAID, said apart from donating the equipment, USAID Focus Region Health Project was also giving clinical training, management training as well as support for health systems including chain management and health information systems.

She said last year, USAID donated similar equipment worth $100,000 to the Central Region and that its main focus was to address unmet family planning needs, maternal and child health issues, malaria and HIV cases within the Greater Accra, Western and Central Regions.

Ms Wright recognized the excellent performance of the region in health care delivery, which won the region a national award adding that her outfit would continue to partner the Regional Health Directorate to ensure quality health care delivery.

She also commended the region for moving from the low level to the highest in the acceptability of family planning and promised that the USAID would continue to support family planning and maternal health care issues in the region.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, the Central Regional Minister, who received the items on behalf of the beneficiary institutions, commended USAID for its support to the health sector in the country.

She said the equipment would help the beneficiary hospitals to provide quality health service to the rural areas.

Mrs Benyiwa Doe said the government and other donor agencies would play their roles by providing equipment and facilities but that it was the responsibility of the parents to also take care of their children.

She commended the Regional Health Directorate for its excellent performance in health care delivery over the past 20 years and urged the staff not to rest on their oars but to work harder.

The four ambulances would be given to Cape Coast, Assin Fosu, Dunkwa-on-Offin and Twifo-Praso district hospitals.**