Afreak Med Foundation, an international non governmental organisation (NGO) based in Austria, is constructing a 50,000-euros ultra-modern hospital for the Tolon community in the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern Region. The hospital, which would comprise of an Out-Patient Department (OPD), male and female wards, a surgical theatre, a paediatric wing, a pharmacy and a laboratory was the brain child of Dr. Bayer Stefan, a medical doctor based in Austria and Dr Kpangkpari Steve of the Catholic Hospital at Asankrangu in the Central Region. Major Retired Abubakari Sulemana, the regent of Tolon and his elders provided a 30 acre of land for the construction of the hospital, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2009. Regent Sulemana and Dr. Bayer Stefan, leader of the NGO delegation cut the sod for work to begin on the construction of the hospital in Tolon on Tuesday. Regent Sulemana commended the NGO for the initiative to come to the assistance of the people and described it as God sent, explaining that for several years he and his people had struggled to get the government to build a hospital for them had proved futile. He said when the people in the area fall sick they often had to travel over 16 kilometres to Tamale for medical attention. He assured the NGO that he and his elders would give all the necessary support for the successful completion of the project. The Regent appealed to his subjects to get registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme, (NHIS) to enable them to access free, affordable and quality health care. Dr Stefan said the realization of the dream of building the hospital was through the efforts of a several people including contributions from the tax-payers money of the people of Europe. He said the project was to also foster closer friendship between the people of Austria and also bring development to the Tolon community. Mrs Denisig Kaara, District Director of Health, said the Tolon community and its surrounding areas had a population of over 167,606. He said the health centre alone in the area could not cater for the medical needs of the people. She therefore welcomed the construction of the hospital which she said would complement the services of the health centre and urged the district assembly to sponsor more students into nursing training institutions to enable them come out to serve the district Source: GNA