Government to establish Police Hospital in Tamale
Tamale, April 15, GNA -
The government is within reach of securing a 30- million-euro funding for the establishment of a Police Hospital in Tamale, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister has announced
Additionally, he said, the government had obtained funds to complete all the components of the rehabilitation of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Alhaji Idris was speaking at a send-off dinner-dance for Dr Elias Kavenah Sory, out-going Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Tamale at the weekend. The Northern Regional Directorate of Health organised the send-off for Dr Sory who has been appointed as the new Director-General of the GHS.
Alhaji Idris further announced government's plans to expand the Yendi Hospital to cater for the health needs of the communities within its large catchment area, adding that Yendi had also been earmarked to be elevated to the status of a municipality.
In a citation read on his behalf, the Regional Minister commended Dr Sory for his dedicated service to the health sector. The citation noted that Dr Sory had worked extensively at both the district and regional levels and actively participated in the health sector reform, which had resulted in the establishment of the GHS. It said of Dr Sory: "You have always aspired to offer quality leadership by example, which has yielded fruitful results to your person and to the Ghana Health Service in general". Dr Sory on his part, noted with regret that although there were many qualified personnel of Northern origin, a good number of them had refused posting to the North, an area considered as one of the most deprived in the country.
He urged both public and civil servants to accept posting to any part of the country to contribute positively to national development. Dr Sory who served five years as the Northern Regional Director of the GHS, encouraged Ghanaians to recognise the contribution of every member in the work chain to motivate workers to give of their best. Dr Kyei-Faried, Acting Northern Regional Director of the GHS, called for effective collaboration between the district assemblies and the health institutions to maintain a sound environmental sanitation to stem the spread of preventable diseases such as malaria and cholera.
Source:
GNA
Thirteen communities hosting Togolese refugees get boreholes
Ave-Hevi, April 15, GNA -
Thirteen communities hosting part of about 9,000 Togolese refugees currently living in the Volta Region have had boreholes sunk for them by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to improve the water situation in those areas.
The communities include Ave-Hevi, Ave-Posmonu, Ketsi-Nkwanta, in the Akatsi District, Obuasi, Likpe-Bala, Gbledi-Gbogame, Wli-Agoviefe, Wli-Afegame, New Ayoma and Kute, all in the Hohoe District, which had two mechanized boreholes.
Ms Aida Haile Mariam, UNHCR Representative in Ghana, who commissioned the Ave-Hevi borehole on Friday at Ave-Hevi, said the boreholes cost a total of 600 million cedis with funds from the British International Development Agency (DFID).
She hailed communities in the Volta Region in particular and the country in general for being refugee friendly and said the environment gave the agency the encouragement to continue pursuing life saving assistance to communities hosting refugees.
"The commitment and selflessness with which the government and people of Ghana, particularly the Volta Region received Togolese refugees became the brightest spot in the UNHCR's operations in Ghana," Ms Haile Mariam said.
"Hevi, where refugees felt safe, their lives improved and everyone is considered kin is a beautiful example," she said. Ms Haile Mariam also gave credit to the Italian government for donating 258,000 US dollars for relief support, part of which was used in the boreholes project.
She said the UNHCR had an active repatriation programme for Liberian refugees in Ghana and announced that some of the Togolese refugees had also opted to return home voluntarily. Togbe Agbalekpor III, Paramount Chief of Ave-Hevi said the influx of the refugees brought pressure on health, sanitation and accommodation facilities.
He said water for domestic use also became scarce particularly after the dam serving the area collapsed last year. Togbe Agbalekpor appealed the DFID through the UNHCR to build a clinic and a place of convenience in the town to avoid a cholera outbreak, as the only facility serving the community had collapsed. He appealed for the introduction of small loan scheme to assist the refugees in improving on their economic efforts to meet their financial commitments adequately. Mr Ramondo Richard, Leader of the refugees mentioned rent demands by landlords and the lack of sanitation facilities as their main problem. A total of 12,300 refugees are said to be currently resident in Ghana.
Source:
GNA