By
Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA
Accra, Jan. 29, GNA
– First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has inaugurated the newly refurbished
Ussher Polyclinic, which was funded by the GCB Bank Limited.
The renovation of
the polyclinic situated at the Asheidu Keteke Sub-Metro in the Capital city,
also entailed the construction of a new surgical theatre facility called the
Jamestown Maternity Home.
The theatre would
aid the Ussher Polyclinic in handling Caesarean and other minor surgical cases
that were hitherto, being referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and other
facilities in the Greater Accra Region.
Built between 1963
and 1964, the Ussher town clinic, as it was formerly called, over the years had
transformed from a town clinic into a polyclinic, increasing its patients and
human traffic, thereby exerting intense pressure on its facilities.
Often the first
point of call for the people of Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro and its environs, the
facility serves a population of over 146,000 patients with the Out Patient
Department (OPD) recording hundreds of cases on a daily basis.
Prior to the
refurbishment, the entire health facility always leaked badly anytime it
rained, and had inadequate washrooms which caused huge sanitation problem for
staff and patients.
Also, some parts of
the building were dilapidated exposing electrical wires that put both patients
and staff of the clinic at risk.
Thus, the polyclinic
could only detained cases for between 24-48hours, due to limited bed capacity
and lack of intensive care equipment.
Following GCB Bank’s
intervention however, additional rooms have been constructed to increase the
bed capacity and increase the duration of admissions as well as the provision
of modern medical equipment to facilitate the treatment of otherwise referral cases.
Commending the GCB
for their yeoman role, Mrs Akufo-Addo said while it may be convenient for the
populace to sit back and expect government to deliver services to all the
people, the reality required all, especially corporate institutions, to chip in
their quota.
She said she was
elated at GCB Bank’s decision to heed the call to partner the government in
enhancing health delivery in the country.
She, therefore,
charged other corporate institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
to partner government to deliver the best of social amenities to the populace,
saying the government could not do it all alone.
Mrs Akufo–Addo said
her Rebecca Foundation had over the years been working to augment the effort of
government to provide quality healthcare to the populace, especially in
deprived areas and during these periods, been urging corporate institutions and
benevolent individuals to join the ‘train’.
“At The Rebecca
Foundation, we also believe in the philosophy of partnership for enhanced
health delivery and so given our shared belief and vision, we are donating some
hospital equipment and supplies provided by the UNFPA, to support the work of
the Ussher Polyclinic and the James Town Maternity Theatre.
She emphasized the
need to shift to preventive health care, which hinges on the food we eat. All
Ghanaians should eat and feed their children with nutritious food.
She reiterated her
call on women to go for cervical cancer screening care, while asking all men to
also go for regular health checks as well.
“We should all
adopt healthy lifestyles to ensure good health care,” she said, adding
that regular screening was important.
Mrs Akufo-Addo,
charged the community members to see the facility as theirs and protect and
maintain it.
Mr Anselm Ray Sowah,
Managing Director of GCB Bank Limited, said Management of the Bank, have been
much impressed by the First Lady’s work and so they were compelled to support
the gesture by facilitating the renovation of the Ussher Polyclinic.
The renovated
facility, he said would go a long way in providing adequate health care
delivery to the people and relieve the burden off Korle-Bu and Ridge Hospitals.
He said health
formed part of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility and supporting this
project was not an exception.
Dr Patrick
Amo-Mensah, the Supervisor of the Ussher Polyclinic thanked the GCB for making
the clinic a better place that could provide adequate health care for the
people that patronise the facility.
He commended the
First Lady for her constant support towards healthcare delivering, adding that,
Mrs Akufo-Addo, had earlier in 2016, donated 80 packets of roofing sheets to
the Clinic.
Present at the
inauguration ceremony were some Board members and management of the Bank, the
Mayor of Accra, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, and chiefs and people of the area who
applauded and cheered the Bank and the First Lady for intervening in their
seemingly hopelessness and making the hospital where they could access comprehensive
health care.
GNA