Korea to support maternal and child health

Accra, May 9, GNA- The Korean government and the Ministry of Health on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the take-off of the "Support for Mother and Child Health Care" in the Eastern Region. The two-year project, which has received a grant of two million dollars from the Korean government will have Kwahu West, Upper Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo as the beneficiaries under the Community Health Implementation Programme Services (CHIPS.

The project package will comprise furnishing of medical equipment and materials, technical assistance and training programmes in Korea to improve maternity health care in Ghana. Mr Hae_Kwan Chung, Deputy Head of Mission of the Korean Embassy, Ghana, the main Overseas Development Agency partner in Africa said the Korean government was considering additional projects in the health sector and city development.

He noted that Korea would this year initiate additional two more multi-million dollar projects in education and knowledge sharing programmes, which would be in cooperation with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on the issue of effective industrialization and export promotion by the private sector.

"Korea is providing West African Power Pool of which Ghana is a key member with feasibility study and basic design of the control centre, which amounts 2.5 million dollars."

He explained that the Korean government has started "E-Consul and E-government project" in Ghana to enhance the government's administrative efficiency and effectiveness by promoting information technology system.

As part of Korea's technical cooperation programme Korean government will invite 30 Ghanaians mainly engineers and researchers for training courses in Korea annually and that he explained was aimed at sharing the know-how and experience Korea had gained through one of the fastest economic and social development processes. Lepuwura M.N.D. Jawula, Chief Director of the Ministry of Health who signed on behalf of government commended Korean government and assured them that the Ministry and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning would ensure that the counterpart programme was fulfilled. He said maternal and child health were very crucial on government's agenda since the survival of life depended on those areas and urged Ghanaians to take the registration of the National Health Insurance Scheme very serious and register in their various communities so that they could benefit from the package.