Rotary Club of Sunyani Central has handed over medical equipment and non-medical consumables worth GH¢787,123.90, to the Maternal Unit of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital in the Bono Region.

The gesture is to assist the health facility render services efficiently.

The club raised the funds in collaboration with their international partners and the government of Canada.

The items are; 27 Drip Stands, an Operating lamp, 8 wheelchairs, 2 ventilators, 2 oxygen concentrators, 2 examination lamps, and 2 resuscitation first aid kits. Others are; 2 infant warmers, 27 patient beds with mattresses, an Operation table, 7 hospital beds, 2 patient trolleys, a phototherapy unit, and an autoclave 50 liters, among others.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the President of the Sunyani Central Rotary Club, Rotarian Patricia Kwantemaa Effah noted that the gesture was made upon a call by the hospital authorities to help equip the maternity block built by the Sunyani Municipal Assembly.

She said, “together with our partners, we started applying for grants, and here we are with the final part of the project“.

Rotarian Patricia Kwantemaa Effah, pleaded for the items to be put to good use. She also urged them to ensure good maintenance culture to prolong the lifespan of the items.

The Acting Medical Superintendent of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, Dr. Helena Alabono, who received the items on behalf of the facility, appreciated the Club for the kind gesture.

“The Rotary Club and its partners have indeed been of great support to this hospital for some time now, and this medical equipment received would go a long way to ensure a successful operationalization of the hospital’s new maternity block“.

She promised that the medical equipment would surely be put to good use.

The Acting Medical Superintendent of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, nonetheless, bemoaned the current state of the facility and called for help to ameliorate the situation, especially with the provision of a private ward.

Sunyani Municipal Hospital, built in 1927, was originally the regional hospital until a new regional facility was built in 2004.

The hospital currently sees over 20,000 clients every year, and over 90 percent of the clients are insured under the National Health Insurance Scheme. The maternity unit performs over 2,000 deliveries annually with the maternity ward always congested.

Dr. Alabono told Joy News, “most of the structures you see are very old, with some dilapidated and have undergone several renovations to make the place conducive for health service delivery.

We need a lot of equipment, especially medical equipment. For instance, we need beds on our wards because a lot of clients come in and some would always be on the floor, it is not a good thing at all”.

She, therefore, appealed for more support to upgrade health care delivery at the hospital.

The Bono Regional Deputy Director of Health, Mr. Adjei Frimpong, lauded Management and staff of the hospital for their efforts in getting the facility operationalized.

He gave the assurance that the Regional Health Directorate will ensure the equipment are used for the intended purpose to help improve the quality of maternal health care.

“We want to assure you that we have honest workers who are committed, high level of integrity, hardworking, and empathetic, ready to ensure that the purpose of your presentation today would not be in vain”, he said.

He nonetheless admonished the health workers to do the right things when delivering their services to avoid legal suit.