By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog, GNA
Yorogo (U/E), March 11, GNA – The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has commissioned a new Hospital facility at Yorogo in the Bolgatanga Municipality to expand healthcare services for residents and surrounding communities.
The new facility, expanded from the existing Presbyterian Regional Eye Centre, now includes a maternity ward, labour ward, operating theatre, male and female inpatient wards, antenatal care services, consulting rooms, and a laboratory, transforming it into a comprehensive healthcare centre.
The facility was realised through a counterpart funding arrangement between the Presbyterian Health Service and its long-standing development partners, Friends of Bawku and Wilde Ganzen, based in the Netherlands, who contributed €150,000.
Right. Reverend Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, who inaugurated the facility, said the expansion was motivated by the need to respond to the broader health challenges faced by patients who visited the centre.
He explained that although the centre had provided specialised eye care services for many years, patients often reported other medical conditions that the facility was unable to manage due to limited services.
“We discovered that people came here not only with eye problems but also with other related health issues, and there was the need to provide general medical care alongside the eye services,” he said.
Rt. Rev. Dr. Kwakye said the addition of a new operating theatre and maternity block would enable the facility to carry out both eye surgeries and general surgical procedures while also providing maternal healthcare services.
He commended the management and staff of the centre for their dedication and encouraged them to maintain high professional standards to ensure quality healthcare delivery.
“We expect excellence in health delivery here. Laziness, apathy, and negligence must give way to commitment and professionalism so that the people of Yorogo, Bolgatanga, Bongo, and neighbouring districts will benefit from this facility,” he stated.
Mr Peter Abugri, Coordinator and Administrator of the facility, emphasised that the centre often had to refer patients with other illnesses to hospitals in Bolgatanga or Bongo, creating inconvenience and delays in accessing care.
“To reduce the stress on clients and ensure they receive comprehensive care here, we decided to introduce general medical services alongside the eye care services,” he said.
He added that the maternity block included a labour ward, delivery room, lying-in ward, and a neonatal intensive care unit to care for premature and vulnerable newborn babies.
According to him, the facility had already secured qualified staff, including doctors, midwives, and theatre nurses, to ensure effective service delivery.
Mr Abugri appealed for support to address electricity challenges in the community, particularly low voltage, and power fluctuations, which he said affected the operation of medical equipment.
Dr Dennis Daliri, Acting General Manager of Presbyterian Health Services, North, said the facility served a catchment population of more than 50,000 people from the Bolgatanga Municipality, Bongo District, and other nearby communities.
He said the expansion aligned with global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal three, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
He expressed confidence that the new hospital would contribute to safer childbirth, improved surgical care, and better health outcomes for people in the region.
Naba Kosomo Legbe Serum-Tinganbila – Legbe Goo, Chief of Yorogo, commended the Presbyterian Church for its significant contribution to healthcare delivery in the area and encouraged the Church to continue engaging the traditional council to advance development in the community.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Linda Asante Agyei