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By Joseph Kobla Wemakor
From left is Dr Gloria Asare, Deputy Director General of GHS with Dr Kofi Awoonor-Williams presenting the device to Dr Kofi Effah
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]hoenix Resource Centre Global Aid Ghana (PRCGA), a Ghanaian-based non-governmental charitable organization has presented an Enhanced Visual Assessment (EVA) system, a mobile colposcope for cervical screening to the cervical cancer prevention and training centre of the Catholic Hospital, Battor at a cost of $1,500.
According to Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams, CEO of PRCGA, he was moved to donate because “Battor Hospital has a very specific need basically because of the important work that Dr Kofi Effah is doing coupled with the NGOs goal which seeks to mobilize and help take resources (medical supplies) to places that are in need of them for promotion of health development.
[ads1]“The support and partnership of Phoenix Resource is aimed at placing Ghana public health facilities in the spotlight to address some of the gaps and needs of health facilities as well as attract positive attention and development” Dr Awoonor stressed.
The magnanimous CEO in an interview maintained his outfit is of a firm belief that its goals fit very well into the health policy aspirations of the sector by providing support to health facilities across the length and breadth of this country but most importantly to health facilities in hard-to-reach areas that serve majority of Ghanaians in accessing health services and those that are confronted with specific needs.
Presenting the equipment to Dr. Kofi Effah, an Obstetrician Gynaecologist from the cervical cancer prevention and training centre of the hospital, Dr. Koku Awoonor said: “I’m particularly happy that Dr. Kofi Effah is here personally to receive the donation on behalf of the Battor Hospital”. He further maintained his NGO is elated to associate itself with Battor hospital but specifically with Dr Effah and his work in the area of Gynecological Oncology, pledging his continuous support towards the hospital at all times. He was assisted by the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), Dr. Gloria Quansah Asare during the presentation.
Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams also assured of his support including partners abroad towards the proposed outpatient’s department(OPD) building project of the hospital.
Receiving the item on behalf of the hospital, Dr Kofi Effah thanked the CEO of PRCGA for the gesture and pledged it will be used judiciously for the intended purpose.
The astute Obstetrician Gynaecologist was happy the device which has been the primary need of the hospital would now serve its purpose of screening women with cervical pre-cancer that can develop into cancer and also following-up women who test for High Risk Human Papiloma Virus(HPV) .
” Since it’s portable, it’ll bring cervical cancer screening and follow-up services to the doorstep of women b’cos our nurses can carry it across the river to the CHPS compounds, to the communities where they can follow-up women close to their homes.”
According to Dr. Effah, the hospital has far outstripped its infrastructure capacity due to spontaneous growth in its operations and therefore needed an adjustment in building to fill the gap . He noted it was built by German nuns as a health centre sixty (60) years ago but has witnessed major transformation due to its operations hence the infrastructure deficit.
“They never imagined that it would grow this big to become a training centre as it is now so the hospital has outstripped its building and there’s the need to work towards building a very good OPD block with laboratory to meet clients demand”.
He disclosed the proposed new OPD block project was initiated by a visiting Dutch Surgeon anticipated at the cost of over $500,000 which raising funds has become an issue. It has over 13 consulting rooms including a modern laboratory, according to plan expected to facilitate confidentiality between clients and their caregivers.
He therefore appealed to all and sundry to come to the aid of the hospital and donate generously to support the project.
Registered as an NGO working with the parent NGO known as Phoenix Resource Centre Limited UK, PRCGA is committed to complement government’s efforts towards proper improvement of healthcare delivery in the country.
This the second time the NGO is donating to support a worthy cause after it has successfully donated medical equipment worth GH¢15,000 plus GH¢1,000 cheque to support the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to meet its daily needs somewhere in April.
