The Rural Urban Partnership For Africa (RUPFA), an Accra-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has supported three health facilities in the Upper East Region with a tricycle ambulance, two refrigerators, and 10 benches valued at GH¢62,400.
The beneficiary health facilities are Wabilinsa Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound in the Builsa North Municipality, Baasa CHPS Compound and Kanjarga Health Centre, both in the Builsa South District.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Kanjarga, the Country Director for RUPFA, Lily Osei, said the donation formed part of the organisation’s long-term ambition to support government to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG3) which aspired to ensure health and the general wellbeing for all by 2030.
She said her organisation was touched by the acute healthcare related challenges, hence their pledge to contribute immensely to tackle crucial health infrastructure drive in the underserved communities in Ghana’s north.
The project which had funding support from Action Solidarite Pour Le Development Human (ASODH), France, she noted, would continue to focus on collaborating with development partners to undertake infrastructure development projects in the Upper East Region.
RUPFA, since its inception in 2009 , she said had embarked on scores of projects in many areas of national life, such as education, health, livelihood and economic empowerment, sports, agriculture, water and sanitation across the country.
According to her, the NGO had made giant strides in environmental protection and community development in rural areas in the country saying “our major priority target is to ensure the rural poor have access to quality health care.”
At the Kanjarga Health Centre where the motor-tricycle and some benches were handed over to management of the facility, Mrs Osei asked the staff members to exhibit enthusiasm in ensuring routine maintenance, so as to motivate the organisation to continue to render its benevolent gesture to the facility.
The officer in-charge of the Kanjarga Health Centre, Daniel Rockson Aninanya, expressed his gratitude to RUPFA, and described the gesture as ‘dream come through.’
Earlier, Mr Aninanya told the Ghanaian Times that about 35 people-comprising 20 children and 15 adults lost their lives between 2017 and 2023, as a result of lack of means to refer patients to the district hospital when their conditions got deteriorated.
“The intervention has come at the right time and it will help address the issue of maternal and neonatal deaths. Transportation has been a difficult issue for us. We have been relying on the national ambulance which serves the whole district, so transferring cases becomes difficult,” he added.
The Executive Director for RUPFA International, Richard Ashaley, indicated that collaborating government’s efforts to surmount the phenomenon of rural-urban migration, reducing poverty and promoting self-reliance was among the organisation’s priority target.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, BOLGATANGA
