Homecoming for Koku Awoonor-Williams

A true-life celebration of a legend in his life- time was given to a former Director of Health Services, John Koku Awoonor-Williams, by the Nkwanta District Old Health Staff Association in the Oti Region last Saturday. 

Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams accepted a posting to the Nkwanta Clinic in 1990 and, through a dint of hard work, has transformed the Clinic into a fully-fledged hospital, which is now the Nkwanta South Municipal Hospital. 

The 122-bed hospital is now the Centre for Primary Healthcare throughout the country. 

He was installed by the Chiefs and elders of the area as Torgbi Ngoryiyidor (Developmental Chief) for his services to promote the lives of the people. The Old Staff Association presented him with a plaque with a citation which among others described him as one who has expanded his hospital to become the best in Africa. 

Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams accepted posting to the Nkwanta Clinic at a time his colleagues had refused posting to the rural areas when Nkwanta was a vast rural district which combined the now Nkwanta South Municipal and North District.

His first milestone on his arrival was the eradication of the Guinea worm pandemic and high maternal mortality which was prevalent in the district then. But through hard work together with his scanty staff were able to eradicate the Guinea worm plague and also started the Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds by establishing 16 of them in the various communities. 

For his efforts, the Nkwanta Old Health Staff Association of the hospital that was formed in 2004 organised the ceremony to honour Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams. 

Speaking at the ceremony, a retired Director of Akyemansa Health Services, Ms Gifty Esi Sunu said he came to Nkwanta Clinic when there were challenges of accommodation, potable water, very poor accessibility, electricity and equipment compelling them to run the Health Directorate offices under baobab trees in town.

There was also the non-availability of electricity so they had to use torchlight and lanterns to perform surgical operations during childbirth on benches without theatre beds, she said.

She said Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams, together with his hardworking staff, were able to use their internal generation funds to build various accommodations, which aided in the transformation of the clinic into a fully-fledged hospital.

A  retired Director of the Ministry of Health, Delanyo Dovlo said he has exemplified the adage that those who are ready to accept challenges are those who can turn them around. She said that with 60 per cent of the population in rural areas, there was a need for committed professionals to accept posting to the rural areas to improve their lives. “And Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams was one of such people”, he said whilst commending the Association for recognizing and honouring him in his lifetime.  

“I had helped to work on the 2006 World Health Report and when the first copy came out, there on the front cover smiling warmly at a child patient in his consulting room in Nkwanta was Koku, the image of the global health workforce”, he said. 

Dr Dovlo called on the Nkwanta South Municipal Chief Executive and the traditional authorities to protect the hospital land to ensure that they have enough land for future development.

Dr Dovlo also called on them to make the wish of Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams to start a nursing college put to fruition.

Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams advised the youth to be ready so that any where they are sent to since 60 per cent of the population are in the rural areas and someone must be there to serve them.

Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams served the hospital for 17 years from 1990.