Tolon to get polyclinic soon but more funds needed

Afreak Med Foundation, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that is constructing an ultra-modern polyclinic for the Tolon District at the cost of over 50,000.00 Euros is appealing for more assistance to complete the project.

The hospital, which will have an out-patient department (OPD), male and female wards, a surgical theatre, a paediatric wing, a pharmacy and a laboratory, is the brain child of Dr. Bayer Stefan, a medical doctor based in Austria and Dr. Kpangkpari Steve, a Ghanaian medical doctor.

The polyclinic, which construction started in 2008, is near completion while medical equipment such as seven automated beds, scanner, auto-clift, 15 mattresses and other equipments had already been installed but more funds are needed to complete the entire project.

Mr. Louis Kpangkpari, Country Director of Afreak Med Foundation, who toured the media to inspect the project on Friday at Tolon, said non-availability of water and electricity were the major stumbling blocks to the early completion of the project and appealed to the relevant institutions to assist in that direction.

He said the facility was intended to improve the health status of the environs including residents in Daboya and urged the Ghana Health Service to make staff ready to man the facility when completed stressing that the NGO had plans to implement more programmes to alleviate the needs of the poor particularly women.

Mr. Marthias Bayer of Afreak Med Austria said it was not easy raising funds from benevolent individuals in Austria to enhance the project completion, but assured that more efforts would be made to raise the needed funds stressing that about 100,000 Euros had already been spent on the project.

Major Sulemana Abubakar (retired), Regent of Tolon, expressed gratitude to the NGO stating that the area would benefit immensely from the polyclinic when completed and assured that the residents were more than ready to extend their assistance to the early completion of the facility.

He said the project was dear to the villagers, saying “the villagers are happy and waiting for the early completion” and appealed to the Government to give it the needed attention for the benefit of the people.

Major Abubakar said the community gave out a 30-acre plot of land for the construction of the hospital and expressed the worry that when the people in the area fell sick they often had to travel over 16 kilometers to Tamale for medical care.