From Sebastian R. Freiku
The Omanhene of the Kumawu Traditional Area, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, has, on behalf of the Queenmother, Nana Serwah Amponsah, and the Kumawu Traditional Council, donated modern anaesthesia equipment to the Kumawu Polyclinic for its new theatre.
The equipment is expected to enhance the operations of the new theatre, following its upgrading of the medical facility to polyclinic status three months ago.
Barima Tweneboa Kodua, himself a Medical Superintendent of the St. Michael Catholic Hospital at Jachie-Pramso, said the equipment would help with major surgical operations at the expanded health facility.
The Chief said the donation is to complement efforts by the District Directorate of the Ghana Health Service, management, and staff of the facility to ensure quality health care in the face of logistical constraints.
Barima Tweneboa Kodua advised the management of the Kumawu Polyclinic to adopt planned preventive maintenance to ensure a longer lifespan of the machine for the benefit of the people.
He promised to avail his services and expertise as a medical officer to the facility whenever the need arises.
On ascension to the Kodua Stool last year, Barima Tweneboa Kodua announced that he would evolve health initiatives that would go to improve healthcare delivery for the required development to the area.
Some of the areas to be prioritised, under the chief’s development agenda, include education, health regeneration, water, sanitation, infrastructure development and recreation and tourism.
The District Director of Health, Mr. Justice Thomas Sevugu, on behalf of the Ghana Health Service and management of the facility, thanked the Kumawu Traditional Council for what he saw as expensive equipment.
He commended the Omanhene for previous interventions and support to the facility, even before he ascended the Kumawu Stool.
The Health Director noted that Barima Kodua’s selfless support to the facility has led to its recent upgrading to polyclinic status. According to Mr. Sevugu, Barima Tweneboa Kodua had also supplied the facility with a theatre lamp and bed.
He announced that the District Health Directorate was negotiating with the health authorities to name the theatre after Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua.
Dr. Seth Agyemang, Medical Officer in charge of the Kumawu Polyclinic, indicated that with the anaesthetic equipment, the facility could undertake 70% of general anaesthesia and advanced abdominal cases, noting that without the equipment, the facility can only cope with about 30% of all anaesthetic cases.
He said the facility has expanded, and currently has a 30-bed capacity for females and children, while the existing ward would be assigned to male patients.
The facility, he said, has 90 members of staff, including midwives, a theatre nurse, a resident doctor and pharmacist.
Dr. Agyemang mentioned that in-patients have increased from 15 to 30 per day over the last three months when the facility was upgraded, while the out-patient department now recorded 60 attendants per day against 25 previously.