Regional News of Friday, 17 February 2006

Source: GNA

Premix profit is for social development- MP

Cape Coast, Feb. 17, GNA - The Central Regional Coordinating Committee on Premix Fuel is not there to squander profits accrued from the sale of premix fuel but to meet the social needs of fishing communities in the region.

Mr Oppey Abbey, co-chairman of the Committee and the Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya made this remarks on Thursday, when he presented items worth 1.5 million cedis and a cash of 2 million cedis to offset the hospital bill of a set of quadruplets, who were delivered by a 30-year-old fishmonger from Moree, near Cape Coast, about a month ago. Ms Aba Essuon, whose husband is also a fisherman, delivered the three girls and a boy at the Central Regional Hospital and the authorities at the hospital had to solicit for assistance from the public, to enable the virtually destitute couple, who already have three kids, aged between 11 and 4 years to cater adequately for the babies. Making the presentation on behalf of the Committee, Mr Abbey said this was the first time the Committee had carried out a social activity to an individual adding that, numerous projects have been provided for the various communities along the coast of the region to improve their socio-economic status.

They include electrification, school and toilet facilities at Apam, Abandze and Kormantse, while British Komenda and Moree had a toilet and school each respectively. Mr Abbey pledged the commitment of the Committee to provide the basic social needs of fishing communities in the region and urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds of the notion that the profits were being squandered.

Dr Darius Osei Kofi, the director of the hospital, who received the items, which included baby nappies and cot-sheets, toiletries, provisions, disinfectants, dresses, baby blankets, socks and bootees, hinted that the hospital was feeding the kids at its own cost to ensure that they were healthy before they would be discharged, to safeguard their health.

He thanked organisations and individuals, who have also contributed towards the upkeep of the babies for the kind gesture and promised to ensure that the resources were put to good use, adding that, the hospital will open an account for them.

Mrs Charlotte Biney, the nurse manager at the hospital said "Ahotokrom", an orphanage at Ankaful, near Cape Coast had adopted the mother and babies and expressed gratitude to the managers of the home and called for more assistance to enable them care for the other three children of the couple, who are not schooling.

Present was the chief fisherman of Moree, Nana Kweigya and the treasurer of the Premix Committee, Madam Rebecca Dawson.