Bui Power Authority, BPA, has handed over a newly built office block to the Ghana Health Service, GHS, in the Banda District of the Bono Region. 

The building, fully funded by the Authority, is to be used as the Banda Health Directorate to help improve the policies of the Service in the district.

Established in 2012, the Directorate had less office space to the extent that the District Health Director, Simon Kofi Adams, was sharing a cubicle with a table with other staff, impeding their work.

“The office is a small room with one desk that I share with the accountant”, he said, adding that it was such an uncomfortable place to work because there was no privacy, among others.

He further explained that the situation was no different with his other staff who struggled for a place to work, especially when it rains.

The challenges affected the effective discharge of their work, and to reverse the situation, the directorate and the district assembly, in 2020, reached out to BPA to help them construct a dedicated and spacious office block.

Under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer of BPA, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, the project received approval in 2021 and construction work started in 2022. 

The completed office block has offices for the health director, human resource and general administration, principal nursing officer, finance office, cold room, public health and health promotion, disease control office, health information and nutrition, and a conference hall.

At the commissioning of the building at Banda Ahenkro, witnessed by the MP, Ahmed Ibrahim, the DCE, Emmanuel Akone and the chiefs and people of the area, the CEO, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, said the Authority is committed to making positive impacts in the communities where they operate, including health infrastructural support.

“Today we gather to celebrate the completion of the Banda Health Directorate Office Block, a project that we believe will have a profound and lasting impact on the health administration of the communities”, he said.

He further said the many projects undertaken by the BPA are to foster development and sustain the relationship between the communities and the Authority.

He mentioned some of the ongoing projects within the Bui enclave as the Bui Sugar Factory, the construction of a landing site, and the recent completion of the 5mw floating solar, among many other projects.

“We are also soon to start the construction of an astroturf at Bui to improve the sporting facilities in the area”, he said and announced that 5 boys are being funded and are receiving training at the John Paintsil Football Academy.

The District Health Director, Simon Kofi Adams, expressed his gratitude for the assistance they continue to enjoy from BPA. He, however, appealed for the new office block to have some fittings and be connected to BPA’s grid to solve the problem of intermittent power outages that affect vaccine storage.

Bono Regional Health Director, Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh, also thanked BPA for the support and assured that the GHS would take proper take care of the block. 

He appealed for assistance to upgrade the Banda health centre to a polyclinic, “in an attempt to deliver powerful, efficient and more advanced services to the people of Banda”.   

At a separate event, BPA donated some hospital items, including an ultrasound machine, at over 60,000 dollars, to the BPA Hospital at Jaama in the Savannah Region, managed by New Leef Hospital.