The Chuchuliga Youth for Development (CYD) in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region has appealed to philanthropists and organizations to assist in upgrading the Chuchuliga Health Centre into a polyclinic.

The group said having a polyclinic was a priority expected to improve healthcare delivery in the community and ease the pressure on the Sandema Hospital, a referral facility, which receives cases from nearby districts within and outside the region.

Pastor Elvis Alirimbey, the President of the CYD, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Chuchuliga on the sidelines of the association’s maiden Annual General Meeting.

It was on the theme: “The Development of Chuchuliga is our Collective Responsibility,” and brought together members within and outside the community to review the group’s activities, and raise funds for planned projects and strategies to meet set targets by the close of 2023.

Pastor Alirimbey said: “A polyclinic in Chuchuliga can even serve Sandema better because the road from Chuchuliga to Sandema is not friendly to patients.”

“From Chuchuliga to Navrongo looks easier, but the polarity for Navrongo will make assess very difficult because our referral center is Sandema.”

The CYD President, who is an Anaesthetist at the Sandema Hospital, noted that Chuchuliga was surrounded by Sandema, Bue, and Chiana, “so if there is a functional polyclinic here, Bue and Chiana will benefit, and some communities proximal to Sandema will also benefit.”

Members of the group who initially appealed for the construction of a general ward for the Chuchuliga Health Centre, and received four trips of sand, said the ultimate was to upgrade the center into a polyclinic with a qualified doctor to render services.

Touching on some projects undertaken by the CYD over the years, Pastor Alirimbey said it constructed lavatories for the Achula Community Day Senior High School, and for traders at the Chuchuliga Market.

He said it supported the construction of a kindergarten with 20 bags of cement and helped to revamp a water system for the community for two years before the Ghana Water Company took over.

The group, as part of the AGM, awarded 10 distinguished personalities with citations for their contributions towards the development of the area.

Notable among them were Mr. James Agalga, the Member of Parliament for the area, and Madam Vida Akantagriwen Anaab, the Municipal Chief Executive.