Likpe-Bakwa Health Centre in ruins

Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, inaugurated the Likpe-Bakwa Health Centre in the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region in April, 1965. Next year, the facility would celebrate its 50th milestone.

Likpe-Bakwa is on the mid-eastern border of the country with the Republic of Togo. The health centre serves several communities, including Akpafu, Fodome, Wli, Hohoe and other towns in Togo.

The facility is one of the few medical centres in the Volta Region that has a resident medical doctor. 

The unit has a laboratory, reproductive health department, out-patients department (OPD), maternal and child health (MCH) departments and other relevant departments. It also has 10 living quarters for staff of the health centre.

Unfortunately, facilities at the centre have deteriorated over the years and are in need of rehabilitation. 

Donation

In an effort to get the facility back in shape, the Volta Queens Association for Social Development, a society of young female rulers from areas such as Alavanyo, Logba, Battor, Atywode and Vakpo have donated four electrically powered hospital beds valued at GH¢11,000 to the maternal ward of the health centre.

The association in addition gave out two of such beds each to the Gbledi Health Centre and the Nyagbo Health Centre, all health facilities in the Hohoe Municipality.

Worrying situation

Summing up his frustrations over the state of the Likpe-Bakwa Health Centre,  the chief of the town, Nana Kodzo Amoah VI, noted that the level of deterioration of the health centre was a source of worry for people in the  area. He said even though a number of meetings had been held on ways to rehabilitate the buildings at the centre, they had always faced obstacles. 

He said the health centre was facing serious problems from many sources. For instance, he said, “When it rain you have to cross a pool of water before you reach the maternity ward”. 

He, therefore, commended the association for their gesture which hopefully would open doors for further assistance from other philanthropists.

Nana Amoah noted in particular that the roofs of the maternity ward and the OPD walkway were areas that needed urgent attention. 

President of Association

The President of the Volta Queens Association for Social Development, who is also the paramount queen of the Alavanyo Traditional Area, Mamaga Ametor II, said the donation was a reflection of the duties required of their position in society.

She said the members of the association would , strengthen their support to help accelerate development processes in the area, specifically with regard to education, social and child welfare, health and sanitation.

Relevance to Millennium Development Goals

The acting Hohoe Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ms Gift Asempa, said the beds would help improve on delivery in the maternity ward as the health centre tried to meet the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

Acknowledgement

The Superintendent Nurse in Charge of the health centre, Mr Senoo Adzato, acknowledged the considerate nature of Dr Moses Boni, the resident medical doctor, for accepting posting to the area which is a rural community with deplorable infrastructure among other challenges. 

Potential

The Likpe-Bakwa Health centre is expanding and has to be upgraded into a polyclinic, especially now that a campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has been established in Hohoe.