Former Chief of Staff Douglas Prosper Bani has commissioned a state of the art Mother and Baby Unit for the Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital in Kpando in the Volta Region.
The commissioning of the facility comes as a timely intervention for the hospital in the area of mother and child care provision in the area.
According to reports, for years, caregivers at the Margaret Marquart hospital lamented the huge inadequacy which confronted the facility at the delivery stage of pregnancy due to the gaping absence of a Mother and Baby Unit and its accompanying equipment.
In a brief address, the former Interior Minister Prosper Douglas Bani said the decision to build the unit was not an easy one as he had to choose between building a personal residence or the facility for mother and baby care at the hospital which will definitely benefit Kpando and its environs.
“Remember my mother came to this same hospital years ago to deliver, but came home without the baby, I never saw that baby, and I know this story is not with my family alone. So this facility must be viewed as step in alleviating the stress our women go through during pre-natal and post-natal. Again this facility is also in fulfillment of what God has done for me, as a true Catholic during my service at UN, gun shorts in my ears were just normal as every minute I could hear it and I because use it. I lost many friends during that time in the war zone but God has been wonderful to me, and today here”.
It should be noted that Ghana is now grappling to meet the sustainable development goal of an infant mortality rate of 70 per 100,000 live births by the end of 2030 after woefully failing to achieve the millennium development goal target of 185 per 100,000 live births at the end of 2015.
It is envisaged that the ultramodern facility will drastically reduce the mortality rates of mothers and babies in the municipality.
The facility whose construction began two years ago will also provide in-patient assessment and treatment for mothers and babies, enabling mothers to receive treatment without separating them from their new born babies.
Mr. Bani stated the hope that the facility which is named “Prosper D.K. Bani Mother and Baby Unit” will reduce the mortality rate at the facility and in the area and raise the quality of health care to the populace as well as deal with the challenge of congestion.
The Administrator of Margaret Marquart Catholic hospital Mr. Emmanuel Hanson believes the donation of the mother and baby unit was well timed as the hospital was confronted with the challenge of where to accommodate mothers and babies which needed special medical attention.
He said management of the hospital, clients, Kpando and its environs are grateful to Mr. Prosper Bani for the gesture because it will go a long way to improve healthcare in the area.
He was however quick to point out that the new facility needs to be equipped with 20 babies cots, five mother beds with side lockers, and Radiant Warmer.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Kpando Mr. Ernest Quist praised the former Chief of Staff Mr Bani for setting the pace for others to follow and said the edifice will go a long way to support health care delivery in the area and its adjoining communities.
Parliamentary candidate for Buem Mr. Kofi Adams and MPs for Kpando, Afadjato South, North Dayi and others were all there to support the Commissioning.
In order to ensure that the facility is fully equipped and has strong financial backing, a fundraising was held as part of the commissioning exercise.
The fundraising yielded GHC36,600.
The event was well attended by sons and daughters of Kpando, Paramount chief of Ziope, Bishop of Ho, members and National executives of Ghana International Scouts and Guide Fellowship (ISGF) and the Clergy, the days also marks the 60th anniversary of the Margaret Marquart Catholic.
Story by: Osman Abadoo/Radiogoldlive.com
