Ambassador Tamas Feher with Dr. Abdulai Abukari and other dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony at Guabliga
Ambassador of Hungary to Ghana, Tamas Feher, has inaugurated an Out Patient Department (OPD) Block for the St. Joseph The Worker Health Centre at Guabliga in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East region.
The Health Center was built with the donation of the Hungary Helps Program in cooperation with the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholich Diocese Development Organization.
This is the second OPD to be opened in Ghana, as earlier in July 2021 a similar facility was opened in Wulugu in the North East region.
The two hospitals is estimated to cost almost 70.000 USD and they were built entirely by Ghanaian workers using domestic construction materials.
The Hungary Helps Program, initiated by the Government of Hungary under the leadership of State Secretary Tristan Azbej, started its operation in 2017.
Mr. Feher at the inaugural ceremony said the OPD center in Wulugu and the St. Joseph the Worker Health Center in Guabuliga will serve a community of nearly 200,000 people and was confident that the Health Center will serve its purpose to the joy and satisfaction of the residents in the North East region.
He indicated that the “Education and Health Infrastructure Development in Northeast Ghana” program received a total of 300.000 USD donation from the Hungary Helps Program to undertake three main projects.
According to him, the first project was the establishment of two rural outpatient centers in Wulugu and Guabuliga noting that previously there were only very small OPD facilities in the two underdeveloped areas with very poorly equipped health services and was optimistic that the new Health Centres will help improve the conditions for both doctors and patients.
“The second project was supporting 20 Primary and Junior High Schools in difficult situation with 1,500 school mono-desks. These schools had no benches before, so students had to study on the floor and the third project was the provision of training and start-up microcredit facility for the acquisition of basic entrepreneurial knowledge and skills for around 1000 rural women from 10 poor local communities in Binduri and Zebilla, to improve the livelihoods of families and the food supply in the region.”
The Ambassador of Hungary to Ghana disclosed that apart from engaging in humanitarian assistance, Hungary also strives to provide sustainable solutions based on mutual benefits enhancing the daily lives of the people of Ghana.
“After a construction period of almost two years, in May 2021 the Waste Water Treatment Plant was inaugurated in Kumasi. That facility was built with Hungarian technology, project management and with the help of the Hungarian EXIM Bank.
I am proud to say that this is the largest capacity and most advanced wastewater treatment plant of its kind in Ghana. At the same time, I am delighted to inform you that two similar plants, one in Tamale and the other in Takoradi, are under construction as I speak.”
“Hungary is also actively assisting Ghana in tertiary education. In the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship program, the Government of Hungary provides 100 scholarships every year for talented Ghanaian students.
This June, the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences – the largest agriculture university in Central- and Eastern Europe – opened a recruiting office in Accra. This University has exchange programs for Ghanaian researchers and teachers with more Ghanaian universities.”
The North East Regional Director of Health, Dr. Abdulai Abukari, stated that the OPD block will improve upon the quality of health services for the people of Guabliga and its environs in the West Mamprusi Municipality.
“The limited small space which was used as the OPD unit have been one of this Health Centres’ major headache over the years and indeed many other Health Centres in the region.”
He appealed to the Guabliga lana and his Elders to continue to support the Health Staff with accommodation facilities so they can stay and render Health Services to the good people of this community.
“we have a chronic problem with the culture of maintenance. This health facility now has a befitting OPD block built with funds from the Hungarian Government and so the responsibility lies on the staff and management to maintain and keep it in shape so that anytime H.E Mr. Tamas Feher comes around he will be happy and proud that their resources are put into good use and this facility may stand the chance of getting more support from the the Government of Hungary. I therefore want to urge the management of this health facility to do all that it takes to maintain it.”
Dr. Abukari reminded residents that the COVID-19 Pandemic is real and that the region has recorded 283 cases out of which loss 11 people.
“fortunately we now have the vaccine for it. So, I would like to make a passionate appeal to all our community members who have not yet taken the vaccine to get vaccinated. The vaccine is free and protective. So, let’s make it our civic duty and responsibility to get vaccinated as well as advocate for the vaccination of all our love ones who are eligible. We also still have to continue with the COVID-19 Preventive protocols of regular wearing of the face mask, social distancing, and regular hand washing.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Guabuliga