The Nkwanta South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Joseph Ninkab, has appealed to the government to establish an accident and emergency centre at the Nkwanta District Hospital to manage road accidents that may occur in the northern part of the region when the eastern corridor road is constructed. He said the eastern corridor road was a highway expected to link the northern part of the country as well as landlocked countries to the southern part, especially to the Tema harbour and another inland harbour to be built. “We are not praying for accidents to occur, but we need to be prepared to manage such a situation if the unlikely event occurs,” the DCE said. Mr. Ninkab, who made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Nkwanta, also gave the assurance that very soon the dusty nature of the road in the area would be a thing of the past as plans were far advanced for tile take-off of the eastern corridor road project. He said apart from the Hohoe Municipal Hospital, the next major health institution on that highway was the Nkwanta District Hospital. The DCE, therefore, stressed the need for plans to be put in place to construct an accident and emergencies centre. He said at the local level, the assembly was collaborating with the management of the hospital to undertake the facility, using part of the assembly’s share of the common fund. At the time of filing this report, rehabilitation work was going on at the Nkwanta District Hospital. The assembly, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), would also roof a resource centre at the hospital which had its roofs ripped off in a recent rainstorm. Mr. Ninkab stated that the assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr. Gershon Gbediame, had presented streetlights to the hospital. He said they were prepared to do everything possible to ensure that the hospital operated at full capacity to address the health needs of the people in the area. He expressed satisfaction with the level of collaboration between the assembly and the Medical Superintendent in charge of the hospital, Dr Anthony Ashinyo. He stressed that within the short time that the doctor took over the administration of the hospital, he had done a lot to improve the facility. Dr Ashinyo was also grateful to the assembly and the MP for the assistance he had been enjoying from them since he took over as Medical Superintendent of the hospital this year. “They have shown enough commitment to help the hospital play a much more enhanced role in health service delivery in the district and that is very commendable,” he emphasised. Dr Ashinyo, who also doubles as the Nkwanta South District Director of Health Services, said his outfit had taken delivery of 50,000 insecticide treated nets to be distributed free of charge to all homes in the district as part of efforts to eradicate malaria from the area. Source: Daily Graphic