Work on Winneba Paediatric Centre to be ready by end of December 2024

Work on an international paediatric centre at Gyangyanadze in Winneba is projected to be completed by the end of this month.

The project, which is 75 per cent complete, will have modern medical equipment to meet the pressing health needs of children from all over the country.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, initiated the project in May this year and is also solely financing its construction and equipping.

A Ghanaian construction firm, Jaycom Construction and Planning Services, is executing the hospital project.

Donation

Mr Afenyo-Markin made this known when he donated a new Toyota Hiace and other items to the Effutu Municipal Health Directorate and also conducted some guests round the project site.

The items comprise five motorbikes, desktop computers, five laptops, three air-conditioners and five printers.

The vehicle and other items were donated in response to an appeal from the acting Effutu Municipal Health Director, Dr Paulette Brown, for support for the directorate to undertake monitoring of health centres and improve healthcare in the area.

“Please, put them to good use; use them for the monitoring, use them to save lives,” the MP said.

Prior to handing over of the items, he toured the municipal health directorate offices, after which he expressed satisfaction at how the building which he constructed four years ago had been well managed.

H gave the assurance that by January, next year, he would finance the fencing of the office block.

Soon after the donation, Mr Afenyo-Markin led the chiefs and queen mothers of Effutu, led by the Omanhene of Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII, health workers and heads of departments and agencies to visit the children’s hospital.

Legacy to Effutu

During a tour of the hospital project site, Mr Afenyo-Markin told the gathering that the facility was “dear to my heart” and it would have the best  equipment and medical personnel once it was completed.

He expressed optimism that the project would open Winneba up for medical tourism.

“I felt inspired to undertake this project because of what I saw at the Winneba Government Hospital.

“I see how parents are talking about the rate at which referrals are made to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Interbeton Hospital as well as the child mortality rate from the government hospital.

“This turnkey project is almost done. It is a state-of-the art facility to save our children that will be both a primary and secondary pediatric facility that will serve children from all over the country,” he said.

Quality healthcare

Briefing the Daily Graphic on other interventions he had made in the health sector, Mr Afenyo-Markin said at the time he became MP, there were only  three health centres in Winneba.

“But today, Winneba can boast 13 health centres, including two major hospitals - one at New Winneba and one at Ekrofo.”

Given the high rate of hepatitis infection rate in the area, he said he had invested heavily in hepatitis B awareness- free testing, free vaccination and treatment.

“I thought originally, I was going to spend a GH¢1million, but it has really gone over because I realised that it was a major problem in Winneba,” he said.