Health News of Friday, 15 August 2014

Source: GNA

Tanyigbe Community clinic receives medical equipment

The Tanyigbe Community Clinic in the Ho Municipal area has received a large consignment of assorted medical equipment towards improving health delivery.

Akoefe and Hodzo communities also in the Ho Municipality also benefitted from similar packages under the National Medical Equipment Replacement Project started by the government in 2012 in collaboration with Belstar Development Limited of the US.

The project consists of training of staff and installation of the equipment, Mr Napoleon Avaala, representative of Belstar Development Limited, told chiefs and elders at the handing over ceremony at Tanyigbe.

Dr Atsu Seake-Kwawu, Ho Municipal Director of Health, described the consignment as a “good package” and “very considerate.”

He said he was hopeful the community would complete major rehabilitation works on the Clinic in time to facilitate early installation of the equipment, expansion of services and provide congenial working environment for the nurses.

The Clinic now operates from a staff bungalow attached to the clinic.

Dr Seake-Kwawu said some of the equipment could be used immediately.

The equipment were Manual Resuscitator, sets of instruments for delivery, Examination couches, Manual Vacuum Aspirator, sets of instrument for dressing, hospital beds, sterilizing drums and tables, table top autoclave and foetal stethoscope.

Others are haemoglobinometre, infusion stand, kick buckets, three fold screens with curtains, bedside cabinets with over bed tables, trolleys with stretchers and dual head stethoscopes.

The rest are sphygmomanometers, babies weighing scales with height measure, microscope and foetal heart detector and examination lamps.

Mr Amorin Koto, Assemblyman for Tanyigbe, said the arrival of the consignment of equipment would ginger the people of Tanyigbe to speed up work on the 38-year-old clinic.

He said the community had marshaled some building materials for the project and appealed for support from non-governmental organizations and the Municipal Assembly to see the rehabilitation through as quickly as possible.

The clinic built by the people themselves has a family health unit, Out-Patient Department, laboratory, three lying-in wards, consulting room, records room, delivery unit and store.

One of the new nurses posted to the clinic told the Ghana News Agency that records available at the Clinic showed heavy attendance in the past but patronage had dropped considerably but expressed the hope that attendance would pick up again.

She said pregnant women now travelled to Ho to deliver their babies because the clinic does not have a midwife.

Maj-Gen Henry Anyidoho (Ret), Development Chief for Tanyigbe Traditional, appealed to the nurses to feel at home in the community and assured them of the co-operation and assistance of the chiefs and stakeholders to improve health delivery in the area.