Tarkwa: Two Institutions Donate To Ghana Health Service

AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem (AAI) Gold Mines and African Mining Services (AMS) have donated a number of items to the Tarkwa Nsueam Health Directorate.

The items which include a Toyota Hilux Pick Up, 6 desk top computers, 4 printers and 4 external hard drives forms part of their corporate social responsibility to the area.

Mr Jasper Musadaidzwa, the Managing Director of AAI Gold Mines, presenting the items said, a year ago the mines launched its Integrated Malaria Programme under the theme: 'End malaria for good in our communities.'

He said the objective was to reduce malaria cases recorded in the mines and its host communities to 75 per cent by the year 2020 and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 13 which considers good health and well-being.

Mr Musadaidzwa said after a year of successful implementation in partnership with the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipal Health Directorate and the Private Sector Malaria Programme of the John Hopkins Centre of Communication, they have made significant progress.

He said statistics from the Sam Jonah hospital in the mines indicates that the incidence of malaria has reduced from 18.4 per cent to 4.8 per cent, representing about 70 per cent among the mine employees.

He said reports from the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Health Directorate also revealed that malaria cases from the Iduapriem Sub Municipal which was made up of 80 per cent of their host communities, had reduced from 225 to 166, representing 66 per cent.

Aside the Integrated Malaria Programme, Mr Musadaidzwa said, the company has also commissioned and handed over a well-equipped health centre to the Municipal Health Directorate to enable residents of Wangarakrom, Badukrom, Nkyemia and its surrounding villages have access to quality health care.

Mr Musadaidzwa said to ensure a holistic approach to health care delivery and achieve the SDG 13, strengthening the institutions, especially in the area of monitoring and evaluation was essential.

He said it was against this background that AAI Gold Mines partnered one of its major contractors, AMS to contribute to enhancing the capacity of the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Health Directorate.

Handing over the keys of the vehicle to Mr Joseph Abu Baka, the Municipal Health Director, the Operations Manager of AMS-Ghana, he said they would continue to assist in the developmental projects of AAI Gold Mines in its stakeholder communities.

He urged the health directorate to manage the items well so that they reach every community.

Mr Emmanuel Affelkum, the Municipal Health Director, who received the items, said every year his outfit immunizes more than 10,000 children in the municipality.

He said with the new vehicle their work would be easier and they would intensify their monthly visits to all health facilities in the municipality.

Mr Affelkum expressed gratitude to the two companies and promised to take good care of the items.

GNA
By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA