Assembly sets up committee to resolve confusion over clinics

Chinderi (V/R), May 7, GNA - The Krachi West District Assembly (KWDA) at its ordinary meeting on Monday has constituted a five-member committee to investigate disturbances that led to the boycott of two health facilities sited at Chinderi in the Krachi West district. Mr Gabriel Kploanyi, Director of Education, heads the committee, which draws membership from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Catholic Mission, Town/Country Planning and the traditional council.

The committee is expected to dialogue with all stakeholders in the disagreement and related issues in order, to eradicate the acrimonies, threats of arson, death and tensions, which had heralded the confusion. Youth groups have found their support bases divided between the feuding parties -- Saint Luke's Catholic Mission Clinic on one hand and the Ghana Health Service clinic -- which have been sited on the same piece of land.

Mr Douglas Koranteng, the DCE said the Catholic Mission first acquired the plot in 1988 and completed the clinic project in 1992. He said the GHS also built another clinic later on the same land about 30 metres from the other facility.

He said the confusion of the two clinics being sited on the same plot of land had dragged on for over five years with its peculiar low attendance challenges.

Mr Koranteng said recently, there was a request by the Catholic Mission to take over the administration of the GHS clinic and convert its facilities into a state-of-the-art theatre and a rehabilitation centre for the disabled.

This request, he said, did not go down well with the youth and operators of the GHS clinic. He said the confusion degenerated and led to the closure of the two clinics. He described the situation as horrendous and that patients from the area and adjoining communities, now had to travel five hours to the Brong Ahafo region to receive health care. Mr Koranteng appealed to the youth exercise restraint and that efforts were being made to resolve the problem once and for all.