Marking World Tuberculosis Day, Member of Parliament for Wa East, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jassaw, has officially handed over a newly rehabilitated health facility and a consignment of essential medical equipment to the Sagu community in the Wa East district of the Upper West Region.

The handover ceremony was preceded by a lively reception, as the women of the Sagu community welcomed the team with traditional music and dancing, a celebration that intrigued the Member of Parliament and his team enough to join in.

Prior to their arrival, residents participated in a tuberculosis health screening exercise in observance of World TB Day, which the MP Dr. Godfred Seidu Jassaw noted serves as a rallying point for education on the disease.

During the screening, Acting Wa East Director of Health Services, Stephen Sunkari, emphasized that tuberculosis is curable and that both testing and drugs are completely free for anyone experiencing symptoms.

The new health facility was brought to fruition after the community initially pulled resources together to start a nutrition center, which the Member of Parliament then took over and sponsored to renovate into a fully functioning compound.

The Wa East legislature formally handed the facility and equipment to the acting health services director, who subsequently entrusted the supplies and the building to Chief of Loggu-Sagu Naa Iddi Ngmengu Abdulai and the local community health committee.

The items donated included two patient beds and one infant bed, one adult weighing scale and one Seca hanging scale, one height measuring board, one BP apparatus, two sets of solar-powered lamps to provide lighting, as the community currently lacks electricity, two chairs, and one table.

Expressing his profound gratitude, Chief of Loggu-Sagu Naa Iddi Ngmengu Abdulai assured the delegation that the community would ensure the facility is maintained and used for its intended purpose, emphasizing that it is there to serve everyone, not just the people of Sagu.

Senior Enrolled Nurse Bagonluri Lucy underscored the dire situation previously faced by residents, recounting a recent incident where a pregnant woman referred from Bintenge to Loggu had to deliver her baby in the bush due to the long distance and treacherous road conditions.

Addressing these pressing infrastructure deficits in the second part of his address, the Member of Parliament acknowledged that Wa East has one of the poorest road networks in the country, despite being the region's food basket.

He provided an update on the Loggu-Sagu-Bintenge road, assuring residents that the Minister of Roads has approved it and procurement processes are currently ongoing, with work expected to commence soon.

Furthermore, he urged contractors currently working on emergency bridge repairs along the Loggu-Kulkpong-Chasie stretch to expedite their graveling work before the rainy season begins, warning that any delays would result in dire consequences for the people's ability to travel safely.