A new surgical theatre block has been constructed for the St. Anne’s Polyclinic at Tagadzi in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.
The project will make surgical operations more accessible to the people, especially pregnant women.
Until the completion of the project, pregnant women in labour often had to cross a river to the Battor Catholic Hospital or be referred to hospitals at Akuse, Akosombo or Ho to undergo safe delivery by caesarian section.
Named after former President John Evans Atta Mills, the surgical block is equipped with modern medical equipment to enhance healthcare delivery.
It was jointly funded by the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament (MP) FOR the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and his wife, Nuhela, the traditional authorities, a Spanish-based Catholic non-profit entity, Manos Unidas, and a Kentucky-based NGO, Supplies Overseas.
Fruit of partnership
Addressing a gathering of chiefs and people of the area Tuesday (Oct 18) during the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa said it was through the “beauty of partnership” that the project had been completed.
“What we see here today is the fruit of coming together, collaborating and cooperating and it tells me one thing, that if we are united and come together and purpose in our heart, absolutely nothing can stop us from achieving our objective,” he said.
He expressed profound appreciation to the traditional authorities for releasing land for the project, the Catholic church, Manos Unidas which donated €90,000 for the edifice, Supplies Overseas that provided the medical equipment as well as his wife and 10-year-old daughter, who provided furnishing and paintings respectively for the facility.
He said when Manos Unidas decided to fund the project construction, they requested for a partner that could make a commitment to help equip the surgical block in order not to make the project a white elephant.
Embracing the proposal, Mr Ablakwa said he approached another non-profit entity, Supplies Overseas, which expressed its readiness to provide the medical equipment, on the grounds that the MP would contribute 20 per cent of the funding for the medical equipment and also pay for shipment and clearance.
“So, I can confirm to you today that the medical equipment that we ordered and Supplies Overseas handed over to us cost $240,000,” he said.
Give aways
He said when the equipment arrived, it was observed that they were more than sufficient to meet the needs of the St. Anne’s Polyclinic surgical block, hence a decision to donate a number of them to tertiary and regional facilities such as the Neurosurgical Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ho Teaching Hospital and Likpe Hospital in SALL where there’s currently no MP. In all 21 other health facilities have benefited from the MP’s donation of medical equipment.
Naming of block
Explaining why the surgical block was named after former President Atta Mills, Mr Ablakwa said it was the late President who inspired “my whole work ethic and philosophy about service and working with people and thinking about vulnerable people.”
“Being a leader who is not defined by position but rather impact that you make is the reason why we are dedicating this building to the memory of Prof. Atta Mills.
“If you have worked with Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, you would know he valued healthcare,” he said, citing the role the former President played in the establishment of the University of Cape Coast Medical School and the University of Health and Allied Sciences, the first public health institution in Ghana.
Appreciation
A Public Health Physician at the Akatsi Catholic Diocese, Dr Momodou Cham, expressed appreciation to Mr Ablakwa for helping to equip the theater as well as helping to get a tax waiver to import an ambulance for the hospital.
“Our MP and his wife immersed themselves fully into this project, even to the point of designing the curtains and paints and providing a microwave, a fridge and television sets for the staff who will be spending countless hours working in the theatre to save lives,” he said.