By Samuel Akumatey
Agbetikpo (V/R), Nov. 28, GNA – The Paediatric Society of Ghana, has donated some relief items to the ‘safe haven’ of Agbetikpo in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.
More than 1,000 people are currently being held at the shelter following flood devastation that ravaged lives and millions worth of property.
Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye, the President of the Society, led a team that included Dr Gabrielle Obeng-Koranteng, the General Secretary, to the facility to present a truckload of food, clothing, toiletries and learning materials.
She told the community that the Society had special concern for children and mothers, and thus would discuss with the Ghana Medical Association and other sister organisations for their support.
“We know that it’s difficult. We know that you are going through a lot, but we want you to know that you are not alone,” she said.
Dr Boye commended corporate Ghana for sustaining support for the victims and presented an amount of GHC 5,000 to assist women in the camp.
Leaders of the safe haven had complained of trauma among inhabitants over the prolonged stay and called for the services of psychologists and other emotional experts.
An elder of Battor, Mr Francis Doe, said there were some prevailing health issues including skin diseases rising from the congested tents and temporary rooms of the community basic school and detailed how sleeping had to be rotated.
Mr Derick Kugah, the Assembly member of the area, spoke of the water shortage, saying aside drinking water which was in sustainable supply through donations, water for cleaning and cooking etc had become a challenge.
The Chairman of the Paediatric Society, after touring the camp, told the GNA that the plight of children there needed to be considered, and appealed to the Government to seek a hasty return to normalcy for the thousands affected.
The North Tongu District, the hardest hit among nine in the lower volta basin, has some 14,000 displaced and presently operates 21 camps and safe havens.
GNA