Cape Coast, March 14, GNA - Plans are far afoot to upgrade and develop health facilities in the country to facilitate plans by government to make Ghana the "medical centre of excellence" in the West Africa Sub Region.
Consequently, the needed equipment would soon be acquired to refurbish all health facilities to help ensure quality health care delivery for people in the country and beyond.
Dr George Sipa Yankey, Minister of Health, who made this known on Friday, said the Central Regional Hospital would also be developed into a medical tourism centre and further extend its quality services to Ghana's neighbouring countries.
Dr Yankson was in the region to congratulate a 43-member medical team from Our Choice International, an NGO based in the United States, which was on a seven-day medical mission to the Central Regional Hospital, and also inspect some equipment the team donated to the hospital.
The team, led by Dr Jill Stoller, a medical director, has for the past week performed a total of 300 surgical operations including eye, hernia and plastic surgeries as well as paediatric care and surgeries at the hospital.
Dr Yankey said the hospital would soon be upgraded into a Teaching Hospital for the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Medical School, adding that everything was being done to ensure excellent and quality health care delivery accessible for all in the region.
He assured the authorities of the hospital, which had earlier requested the posting of an ophthalmologist to the facility that it would soon get one or more and stressed that the hospital had a major role to play to enhance quality and accessible health care.
The Regional Director of Health Services, Dr McDamien Dedzo, had earlier appealed to the Minister to use his good offices to get the hospital an ophthalmologist and other specialists to facilitate its transformation.
He expressed appreciation to the US team for its dedication and also for the equipment delivered, saying the equipment, which included a scanner and a "Faco" machine used for cataract surgeries, would help boost its services.
Dr Yankey was accompanied by the Central Regional Mrs. Madam Ama Benyiwa-Doe, who announced that the region was very dear to President John Evans Atta Mills and would therefore leave no stone unturned to ensure its total development.
Dr Stoller thanked the staff of the hospital for their dedication that facilitated their work.
GNA
