Church leader calls for partnership between Church and govt

Ho, Aug 26, GNA - The Evangelical Presbyterian Church would continue to seek ways to strengthen its partnership with government in fulfilling their collective responsibility of providing for the welfare and development of the people.

This is because the Church and State should not be competitors but partners in development.

Rt Rev Dr. Livingstone Buama, the Moderator of the Church, said this when he addressed the opening session of the 64 Synod of the Church at Kadjebi-Asato on Thursday under the theme, "Breaking New Grounds". Rt Rev Buama said it is in that vein that the Church was soliciting the government's support towards its initiative of establishing a university in the Volta Region.

''It is in that direction also that the Church is becoming increasingly apprehensive of the activities of some political interests to pit the state against the Church as if they are competitors.''

Referring to the role of the Church in health delivery, Rt. Rev. Buama said, "there is no denying the fact that the E.P. Church has been one of the pioneers in health delivery in Ghana.''

''Over the years, however, some people have played politics with and interfered unduly with our service delivery resulting in the government's take over of the Adidome Hospital from the Church.'' "At the moment clandestine and overt schemes have been put in place to thwart our efforts in running our hospital at Worawora," he said. Rt Rev Buama said it was regrettable that while facilities at the hospital continued to decline, "some people of power continue to move behind the scene to put our efforts in reverse gear and to rebuff the efforts of the Church to resolve the issue amicably with the government. He appealed to Mr Kofi Dzamesi, the Volta Regional Minister, "to take up the issue on our behalf".

Responding, Mr Dzamesi said the tussle concerning the Worawora Hospital was negatively affecting the quality of facilities and denying the people the full benefits the hospital was meant to bring to them. "Government will do only that which will be in the larger interest of the people of Ghana and enhance the co-operation and collaboration between government and our development partners, and in conformity with democratic principles", he said.

He pledged to facilitate an early resolution of the matter and suggested a meeting involving the government, the E.P. Church and the Worawora community, "to try to discuss and agree on the way forward for the Worawora Hospital in the supreme interest of all of us".