Dorcas Toffey donates ambulance to Half Assini government hospital

A Philanthropist and business mogul, Mrs. Dorcas Nda-Affo Toffey popularly known as Nzema Yaa Asantewaa has honoured her promise by donating a brand new ambulance from her personal coffers worth GHC240,000 to the Half Assini government hospital in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region for emergency relief services.

The ambulance is fully equipped with one carrier bed, two accident carrier chairs, one electronic carrier chair, oxygen cylinders, other consumables to provide specialized services.

The Ambulance will help transport referred cases especially pregnant women, children and the aged with some level of comfort and also on time to avoid needless loss of lives.

She also donated 40 pairs of nurses uniform for the nurses and also other staff who would be working on the ambulance.

She added 20 pairs of ambulance drivers uniform, 30 pairs of patients uniform and 10 pairs of work uniform.

The donation was in response to a passionate appeal by the management of the hospital to the Jomoro NDC parliamentary hopeful, Mrs. Toffey, during a special visit to the facility earlier this year.

Mrs. Toffey disclosed that she shed tears at the sight of the hospital's old ambulance because it was only one and doesn't help well in emergency situation as expected.

She revealed "God gave me the opportunity to visit the Half Assini government hospital, where I came face to face with reality of health delivery in this area. The Females Children's Ward and the General Ward are all merged together. Nanamo, invited guests and my people gathered here this is the first time I encountered such an experience. I could see the frustration written on the faces of the doctors taking me around. I could see that these are great people who want to give out their best to the people but for want of space and lack of equipment they feel constrained, this made me cry".

She added "I went home heart broken, and had sleepless night thinking of what to do to make life a little comfortable especially for the children at the children's ward. They don't have children's ward and therefore put the children and adults together at the same ward. I was told that because of congestion people who are not fully recovered are discharged to make way for new admissions. I find out that transporting patients to and from the hospital has led to deaths of our loved ones which otherwise could have been prevented if the hospital had an ambulance. The needed for an ambulance therefore engaged my urgent attention. This is the result of what you see here today, the Ambulance for a start".

During the official handling ceremony held at the hospital's premises on Friday, August 31, 2018, Mrs. Dorcas Toffey said the development of the area was her prime concern and revealed that her mother was a benevolent and have love and concern for people, "Am a chip of the old rock. It has always been my desire to give back to my community".

"My greatest desire is to contribute to the education of the children in Nzemaland. A dream am about to actualize in the small way. This will give some hope to the to in our villages and towns. I have just started with health delivery", she emphasized.

She seized the opportunity to liaise with the management of the hospital to provide beds, wheelchairs and other essential things to help improve health delivery to the people.

"I am working with Doctor Frank and his team to help mobilize beds, wheelchairs and other essential things to help improve health delivery to our people", she pledged.

She also seized the opportunity to appeal to all sons and daughters of Nzemaland, far and near, together to pull resources to help the area.

"Nanamo, I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to all sons and daughters of Nzemaland far and near, together we can do it devoid of politics. Let's pull resources to help our motherland. This is our duty", she urged.

She thanked one Mr. Owusu Achiaw who gave her direction to purchase this ambulance and also thanked the management and staff of the hospital for a wonderful work done and urged them to work hard to improve quality healthcare delivery in the Municipal Assembly.

On his part, the Paramount Chief of Western Nzema Traditional Council who was the chairman of the occasion, Awulea Annor Adjaye III expressed appreciation to Mrs. Dorcas Toffey for the kind gesture and asked God to bless her abundantly.

Awulea Annor Adjaye III, admonished the people not to forget the good of the Philanthropist, Mrs. Dorcas Toffey.

He mentioned that this will help prevent avoidable deaths which were becoming rampant.

He lamented the lack of ambulances in the country and called on all to allay the situation.

He seized the opportunity to called on Nzema youth outside the country to visit home to help the development of the area.

He used the occasion to also commended the former Chief of Defence Staff who is a native of the Municipality, General Peter Augustine Blay for his immense support played in the educational development of the area by building an ultra-modern ICT center for Half Assini Senior High School and two-storey administration block for Annor Adjaye SHS and therefore commended the two and urged the gathering to emulate them.

He called on his people to stop pettiness and also avoid body politics which have tendencies to retard development of the area and said "We should avoid politics because death doesn't know whether you are an NPP or NDC, we are all one people, let us support Mrs. Dorcas Toffey to do more".

He urged the gathering to take good care of their health by visiting hospitals regularly for medical check up and advised them to avoid bad eating habit.

Awulea Annor Adjaye III, further urged the management of the hospital to properly maintain the new ambulance to ensure a longer lifespan.

Awulea seized the opportunity to admonish parents in the area as a matter of prime concerned to invest massively towards their children's education.

He advised the parents to do away with petty politics that would not bring any development to the area.

He also appealed to parents to pay keen attention to their kids and stop them from patronizing night clubs for entertainment to bring their educational career to an end and let their children go to school and become like Mrs. Dorcas Toffey and support the Municipality.

Speaking to the media after the donation, the Principal Health Services Administrator of the hospital, Mr. Abdul Wahhab expressed his profound gratitude to the donor God the kind gesture.

He assured the donor that the ambulance would be used for its intended purposes to improve quality healthcare delivery for people within the area and beyond.

He said the ambulance has come on the right time and will help in referred cases and said the vehicle would be used as a mobile to visit houses to assist pregnant women on their labour.

He said the hospital's main concern is the lack of Children's Ward and therefore appealed to the donor to assist them to complete it which has been started by some Nzema Philanthropists living in Italy but suspended due to financial challenges.

The colourful ceremony was climaxed by a fundraiser to buy fuel for the abundance.

Mrs. Dorcas Nda-Affo Toffey was accompanied by the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Augustine Blay, Ghana's hip life artiste, Guru, former DCEs of the area, staff from the Municipal Assembly Health Directorate, some Constituency Executives of the opposition NDC in the area, the Chief of the area, Nana Ayebie Amihere VI, the media among others.

Source: Daniel Kaku

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