AFRIKIDS MEDICAL CENTRE IN BOLGATANGA EXPANDED (PAGE 54, NOV 15, 2010)

A BOLGATANGA-BASED Child welfare non-governmental organisation (NGO), AfriKids Ghana has handed over an expanded structure to the administration of AfriKids Medical Centre in Bolgatanga.
The new structure, a 28 bed facility will accommodate the children’s and female surgical wards. Other facilities include office administration, consulting rooms and a yet to be complete X-Ray unit. This will bring to 50 the number of wards in the facility.
Funds for the first phase of the expansion programme valued at GH¢339,000, were secured through the external partnership with Afrikids UK. Through a tripartite partnership with the Ghana Health Service, AfriKids Ghana and Southampton University Hospital Trust (GHAS), the facility has received some hospital equipment to enhance its service delivery.
Speaking at a brief handing over ceremony at Bolgatanga, the Head of Information Technology at Afrikids Ghana, Mr Sebastian Ayaaba, who stood in for the Country Director of the NGO, said the Medical Centre would continue to play its role of providing quality health care in the region.
The acting director stated that the centre was part of an elaborate scheme to make AfriKids Ghana self-sustainable come the next eight years by which time management intended to close its fund-raising office in the UK.
Mr Ayaaba expressed appreciation to Mr Nick Eastcott, a retired health care manager from the UK, who had devoted his time over the years to help the centre to improve its services.
The administrator of AfriKids Medical Centre, Mr Ibrahim Issah said the increasing number of out-patients at the centre over the years necessitated the expansion works.
He stated that since AfriKids took over the management of the centre from its original owners in 2007, more than 40,600 people had received health care from the facility.
Mr Issah said the centre received its accreditation as a primary hospital in June 2009 when it met the requirements of a primary hospital.
He stated that three resident doctors would be posted to the centre by November, this year while the number of nurses would also increase from the present 12 to 21.