Wulugu health centre abandoned(D/G April 23, 2013 Back Page)

http://graphic.com.gh/General-News/wulugu-health-centre-abandoned.html A community health centre built by the West Mamprusi District Assembly at Wulugu as far back as 2009 is gradually deteriorating, having been abandoned since it was completed. The facility, funded through the District Wide Assistance Programme (DWAP), was completed in 2008 and handed over to the District Health Management Team, (DHMT) in 2009. It was intended to address the health needs of the people in and around Wulugu, near Walewale. Work on an adjourning staff quarters is also at a standstill, while the main health centre has developed serious cracks as a result of it not being put to use. The facility will require huge sums of money to renovate if ever the building is to be put to good use in future. This came to light at a stakeholders forum held at Walewale by the Millennium Village Project. Participants, including heads of decentralised departments, politicians, Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Walewale and Yagaba / Kubori constituencies, Mr Ussif Mustapha and Dr Sagre Bambangi respectively, bemoaned the fact that such a critical project had been abandoned ever since it was handed over. The Team Leader of the Millennium Villages Project, Mr David Sumbo, told the forum that "when you have such an abandoned facility, it becomes difficult to approach development partners for more resources to carry out infrastructural development" He, therefore, urged the district health management team to quickly put in place measures for the immediate use of the facility to address the health needs of the people. A representative of the DHMT, Walewale, Mr Dadia Stephen, suggested that they had not been given the technical support by way of logistics and equipment to facilitate the use of the facility. "The DHMT is not well resourced; we are only implementing the policies of the Ministry of Health and we don't buy equipment, we also do not have the requisite staff to man the facility," he said. The two MPs at the forum condemned the situation and called for a tripartite meeting of the district assembly, the MPs and the DHMT to resolve all the challenges for the health centre to be put to use. Writer's email: benjamin.glover@grahic.com.gh http://graphic.com.gh/General-News/wulugu-health-centre-abandoned.html