Bolgatanga, Feb. 13, GNA - A number of people in the Upper East Region, have commended the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. John Koku Awoonor-Williams for his innovation leadership style, which had facilitated infrastructural development in the health sector. A random sampling of views by the Ghana News Agency on Friday attracted praises for Dr Awoonor-Williams, who assumed duty in the Region, two years ago.

The respondents cited the renovation and face lifting of the office block of the Regional Directorate, immunisation strategies he had put in place, retention of health workers and attention for the various health training institutions in the area. Some also referred to the number of ambulances Dr Awoonor-Williams have been able to secure and distributed to all the districts in the region as well as the Community Health Base Planning and Services created to ensure that people in deprived areas have access to health care at their doorsteps. The people interviewed credited the renovation of the Regional Medical stores in Bolgatanga to the Regional Director as well as the reduction of maternal and infant mortality cases and achievement of high nutritional supplementation for malnourished children. Mr. Bismark Ayorogo Adongo of the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy, a non-governmental organisation, said facilities at the health training institutions had improved tremendously as compared to the previous years.

He said most students in the region could now access training in the training schools. Mr. Adongo said the area needed people with vision and leadership style like Dr. Awonoor-Williams, to fast track its development. He said one of the major problems drawing back the development of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions backwards was the luck of leadership, visionary zeal and commitment. 13 Feb. 10