0nipanua, VRA's medical boat, makes 100th voyage

Akosombo, Sept 15, GNA - The Volta River Authority (VRA) medical boat, 0nipanua, that provide medical services to communities along the Volta Lake that are not accessible by road, made its 100th voyage on Friday.

0nipanua, which was inaugurated on December 14, 1990, also serves as a training centre for medical staff and other health professionals, both Ghanaians and foreigners, in community health care delivery. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 100th trip of the boat the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Abraham Odum Dwomo, said services of 0nipanua demonstrated the commitment of the people of Ghana to people affected by the Volta Dam.

He appealed to the medical staff on 0nipanua to educate the communities that they visit on ways of preventing ill health, adopting good nutrition and healthy lifestyles to help reduce incidence of disease and reduce the cost of treatment.

Mr Dwomo, who joined the 100th trip of 0nipanua to the Kojokpo village, appealed to the Asuogyaman District Assembly to provide regular water transport service to the community to enable the school children at the village to cross over to school at Gyakiti.

He also appealed to the district assembly to use the National Youth Employment Programme to train and absorb the salaries of the two teachers teaching at the Kojokpo Kindergarten who are being paid by the community.

The Chief Adviser of the Chief Executive of VRA, Mr Eric Yankah, said 0nipanua represented VRA's commitment to its corporate social responsibility

He said it demonstrated VRA's desire not to limit its activities to power development but also to ensure that VRA created and sustain a healthy and vibrant relationship with the communities in their catchments area, especially those directly affected by its operations. Mr Yankah said the desire of the medical team of VRA to do more was always dampened by the limited resources available to the institution to conduct its outreach programmes and appealed to the Ministry of Health to support the construction of a second boat to supplement the efforts of 0nipanua.

Mr Yankah said the VRA was also looking forward to the day when sick children and their parents would not have to wait for 0nipanua to receive medical attention but would have access to regular health facilities. The Acting Director of Health Services of VRA, Mr John Nkrumah-Mills, said for the first time the trip would include an eye specialist.