Engage Now Africa, a community development NGO in collaboration with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has officially opened a state-of-the-art 50-bed mother and child hospital in the Sumbrungu-Agusi community in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region.

The new facility is designed to address the healthcare needs of over 1.3 million residents in the Upper East Region, with an emphasis on maternal and child health.

Equipped with modern amenities, the hospital includes labour and delivery rooms, a malnutrition consulting area, pediatric care sections, postpartum facilities, an observation area, pharmacy services, laboratory services, emergency obstetric care, as well as accommodations for healthcare workers.

At a ceremony to commission the facility, Founder and Board Chair of Engage Now Africa, Dr Lynethe W. Gay said building the facility was in line with her organisation’s goal to strengthen families and communities and urged healthcare personnel to maintain compassion and professionalism in their duties.

“You as healthcare workers are intimately involved with people who come to the clinics, especially the mothers and their children.

"It’s a very big privilege and I know this hospital will be filled with compassionate, high-quality professionals”, she said.

The Country Director of Engage Now Africa, Cecilia Amankwa reiterated the organisation’s commitment to alleviating poverty and enhancing community well-being.

“You cannot keep people out of poverty if they are not healthy so we thought it wise to put up an edifice like this that can treat parents and their children, treat everybody so they can be in good condition, to function right and also build a sound society”, she said.

According to Elder Kofi Sosu who represented the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the church partnered with Engage Now Africa to put up the new Mother and Child Hospital in the Sumbrungu-Agusi community because it reflects the Church’s mission of extending love and service to communities.

Upper East Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, who led the official commissioning of the facility, acknowledged the hospital's crucial role in addressing maternal and child healthcare challenges within the region.

“Expectant mothers and young children still face considerable risk due to inadequate healthcare service [in the country]. Therefore, the establishment of this specialized hospital will provide timely, quality healthcare services that are accessible and efficient and tailored to the needs of mothers and children”, he said.

The chiefs and people of Sumbrungu-Agusi expressed their excitement and gratitude to Engage Now Africa and their partners for establishing such a “life-changing” project in their community.