Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Region Minister and Member of Parliament for Takoradi, has recounted how the heart-wrenching experiences of victims of a gas explosion at a utensil manufacturing company, GHUMCO, and the inadequacy of the then health center at New Takoradi to take care of them motivated him to commit to financing a 60-bed health facility in the community.
In 2017, over one hundred persons were severely injured in a gas explosion at the Ghana Households and Utensils Company (GHUMCO) in the Effia Industrial Area.
Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah then, on a tour of health facilities to commiserate with the victims, recounted how the lack of space at the then New Takoradi Health Centre impacted the ability of caregivers to provide quality and timely services.
“I couldn’t bear the wailing of the victims and how some of them had been admitted. I decided there and then that I would never let space be a hindrance to access to health care. So, I decided to respond to the wails of the victims by financing a more spacious health facility that would be adequate and able to take care of such situations.
“And after years of persistence and keeping my eyes on the ultimate prize of a befitting response to the lack of space at the New Takoradi Health Centre, we have this edifying structure to show for,” he told a joyful crowd when he led the regional director of health services, Sekondi – Takoradi Mayor, and other stakeholders to commission a 60-bed health facility at New Takoradi.
Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah is the biggest financial contributor to the project and envisages it spearheading the provision of accessible, affordable, but quality health care to residents of New Takoradi and other communities around.
The 60-bed state-of-the-art health facility has a laboratory and paediatric, obstetric, male, and female surgical wards, all fitted with top-range equipment, four consulting rooms, lavatories, and other spaces for essential services.
The health facility has now grown from a health center to a 2-storey polyclinic with accompanying 4-unit, two-bedroom nurses’ apartments.
“The completion of this facility will bring immense relief not only to the people of New Takoradi but also to people beyond. Especially, at a time when the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital is undergoing major restructuring.
“As the father of this constituency and the whole of Western Region, my preoccupation is to ensure the holistic development of all. And there is a sense of fulfilment when such works like the one we are witnessing today come to fruition. As we work daily to ensure that we do not record disasters that will overwhelm our ability to respond to healthcare, we should stand ready when the need arises.
Yaw Ofori Yeboah, Western Regional Director of Health Services, praised the regional minister for his commitment to ensuring that healthcare is accessible, of good quality and affordable.
“It will be equally important that health personnel posted here get all the support to give their best. So, I will appeal to you, the residents and corporate bodies around not to hesitate but to heed the call for support when the need arises.
“A good relief”
For the scores of residents who witnessed the commissioning, they could not stop singing the praises of Kwabena Othere Darko-Mensah for doing as “he promised them some time back.
“New Takoradi is growing, therefore, we needed a health facility that would be able to take care of the healthcare needs of the growing numbers. And Kobby has not just given us a befitting health facility but one fitted with modern equipment. It means we will be able to get some of the specialised health services which hitherto, we would have travelled far to get,” and this is 55-year-old Ezekiel Amu’s reason for being happy.
65-year-old Ekua Maanan is a fishmonger of over forty years and lives in New Takoradi. She recalls that “two years ago, she suffered from an ailment, which she will not disclose to this reporter, and had to travel to Cape Coast every week for treatment.
“For more than three months, I had to travel to Cape Coast once every week. It had a toll on my meagre finances. I have heard that the management of this new health facility will be taking care of some specialised services. Imagine the relief it will offer the next person who might suffer a similar fate as mine. Kobby deserves every applause.
To further show his desire to see the polyclinic commence some essential services without delay, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has also helped with the setting up of the medical laboratory.
