Shot of Reg. Minister(Right), Bon-Naba(Middle) and Hon. Ayimbisa(Left)
Even before the implementation of the One Million Dollar per Constituency initiative by the ruling New Patriotic Party takes effect, the Bongo District Chief Executive, Hon. Peter Ayimbisa has hinted that, a large portion of the money, if released, will
be used to construct a modern Mortuary facility for the Bongo District Hospital.
The announcement has brought some excitement to many residents of the District, especially those living and working around the Bongo District Hospital for years.
Hon. Peter Ayimbisa made the announcement at a Town Hall Meeting in Bongo, in the Upper East Region. The Bongo District Assembly is the first to hold the meeting in the region this year.
The District Chief Executive, agrees with the public and the staff and managment of the Bongo District Hospital that, the current state of the Hospital’s Mortuary is not just below its status, but an embarrassment and a danger to public health.
Hon. Ayimbisa was not happy previous governments and District Chief Executives for the Bongo District, for ignoring the worsening plight of the Hospital and promised that, the situation will be addressed, once the money hits the accounts of the District Assembly.
“We have lived in this District for years; governments have come and gone and nothing is done about the Mortuary. No attempt by previous government has been made to get this facility in place. As we sit here, Honourable Regional Minister, God forbid, in the unlikely event that something happens to you, you would not have any Mortuary facility.” Hon. Ayimbisa added.
For years, the Bongo District Hospital has been keeping dead bodies in a dilapidating kiosk-like structure, haphazardly made with Aluminium roofing sheets. The Aluminium sheets around the “Mortuary” are fast rusting, thereby creating holes on the surface. The holes have become passage for flies and repitles like lizards to enter the “Mortuary” and “feast” on the dead bodies and come out.
The files move in and out of the “Mortuary” freely and end up hovering or settling on the food and other items displayed by vendors around the Hospital.
Hospital Authorities are on record to have appealed for a new Mortuary and have also complained severally, about the dangers the structure poses to the public and patients, as well as the staff of the facility, yet the structure has not changed.
Apart from the Mortuary, the Bongo District Assembly, according to Hon. Ayimbisa, will also spend some of the One Miillion Dollar per Constituency money on rehabilitating some existing roads and create some new ones to open the district up for development.
According to him, the creation of new roads and rehabilitation of existing ones are in line with preparations towards the implementation of the Government’s “One District, One Factory”, Planting for Food and Jobs and “One Village, One Dam” programmes.
Presenting a Keynote address at the Town Hall Meeting, the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Rockson Bukari called on the people of the District and the Upper East Region as a whole, to support the government by also honouring their tax and levy obligations and protecting development projects provided by Central government and the District Assemblies, so as to live up to their expected life-span.
He called on other District Chief Executives in the region, to put their development plans together, and sensitise their people on the intended development projects across the district, so as to avoid delays in their implementation due litigation and needless misunderstandings.
EBO BRUCE-QUANSAH, Bongo