Cobaana Donates Incubators To 3 Health Facilities

The Council of Bono and Ahafo Associations of North America (Cobaana) has donated 3 brand new incubators to three health facilities in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions as part of activities marking their homecoming convention held from May 23 to May 28. The beneficiary facilities are the Atebubu Amantin hospital in Bono East, St. Mary hospital in Drobo in the Bono Region and the Goaso regional hospital in the Ahafo region.

Making the presentation at a ceremony in Sunyani, the General Secretary of the association, Mr. Augustine Boahen said those equipment are part of the association's contribution to the health delivery to their people. According to him, with the current economic situation in the country, health delivery should be a shared responsibility between the government and the citizenry and that is why the association has decided to partner with other stakeholders to help in the health care of their people. He however entreated the health institutions to take good care of the equipment .

Cobaana is an umbrella association of Bono and Ahafo citizens residing in the United States and Canada. With the former Brong Ahafo region being split into 3, the association decided to remain one in spite of the division. Every year, the association holds its convention in a North American city but decided to bring their activities closer to their people this year and hence the homecoming convention. The first homecoming convention in Ghana was held last month under the theme "The Health of our people is our concern". The climax of the convention was a fundraising dinner dance and the funds raised was towards the building of a dialysis center in one of the hospitals in the three regions. Members of the association decided to embark on this project against the backdrop that many people from the three regions in most cases have to go to Kumasi or other places when they have kidney related diseases and they need to undergo dialysis and the accompanying inconveniences and danger in making those trips is something not to write home about. With such a center closer to such patients, it can help save some lives. The association is therefore appealing to NGOs, philanthropists and well wishers to come to their aid to make the building of the center a reality.

During the weeklong convention, many activities were held which included clean up, health walk and excursions to some tourist sites in the regions. The association in partnership with some medical professionals from the US, had a free medical outreach for the people of Duayaw Nkwanta and its environs.

The General Secretary appealed to citizens from the hitherto Brong Ahafo region in the diaspora to come together and follow the footsteps of their brothers and sisters in North America so that together, they can make the health of their people their concern.

Receiving the equipment, the staff of the hospitals thanked Cobaana for thinking about them and hoped this will not be the last, but rather the association will continue to make the health of the people in these regions their concern even as they live thousands of miles from home. They also promised to take good care of the equipment.