Battor (VR), Oct. 17, GNA – Rotary Club of Tema-Meridian in partnership with Rotary Club of Hannover-Ballhof, Germany have commissioned and handed over an oxygen generation system with other hospital equipment to the Catholic Hospital at Battor.
The other medical equipment included Patients monitor, examination light, ultrasound unit, wheelchairs and trolleys.
Ms Ethel Vandor-Odonkor, President for Rotary Club of Tema-Meridian, mentioned the project which cost about USD 85,000 took about three years to complete.
She said apart from the Oxygen Generation System, a list of other hospital equipment was also delivered to the hospital from Germany.
Ms Vandor-Odonkor speaking at the ceremony, said Covid – 19 pandemic was one of the major reasons for the delay of the project and acknowledged the support elicited from past presidents of the club for the completion of the project.
“I want to thank the Rotary Foundation, past presidents and members of the Rotary Club of Tema-Meridian and our partners in Germany, the Rotary club of Hannover-Ballhof for partnering our club in having a smooth execution of this project. We believe our co-operation will be a long lasting one,” she said.
Dr Bernard Hayford Atuguba, the medical superintendent of Battor Catholic Hospital, said the support of the Rotary Club came at the right time.
“The hospital has 76 cylinders, and we spend between Gh¢8,000 and GH¢10,000 every week on refilling of our oxygen cylinders, this excludes maintenance and fuel; the stress and difficulties in pulling and swapping empty cylinder being an issue of the past should be much joy to our nurses,” he said.
Dr Atuguba added the facility was a 100 cubic meter oxygen generation system, which had been designed to serve the entire hospital adding that “the hospital currently uses about 15 per cent of the oxygen generated and the rest of the facilities would be connected to it soon.
This he said would not only benefit people of the North Tongu District since the hospital had about 60 per cent of its clients coming from Accra and 40 per cent from the Volta Region and other districts including countries like Togo.
Mr Mumuni Haruna, the Assistant Governor for Rotary district 9102 who represented the District Governor explained that Rotary had been a service and voluntary organisation made up of different professionals who come together and help the community.
He said Rotary was divided into zones and districts which Ghana had been part of district 9102 which included Togo, Benin and Niger.
“Rotary has seven areas of focus and fighting disease under which this oxygen plant project falls as one of them”, he said.
Mr Mumuni Haruna appealed to the hospital to take good care of the Oxygen Generation System as well as other equipment.
“Sustainability is important, so, the machines need to be well maintained for the next generation,” he said.
The heads of the various units of the hospital applauded the gesture of the Rotary club of Tema-Meridian and Rotary Club of Hannover-Ballhof adding that, “they have brought life to Battor since Oxygen is life.”
The Oxygen Generation System currently serves three wards which include emergency unit, recovery ward and the theatre.
Rotary International has been in service for more than 110 years and has more than 1.2 million members globally. It’s made up of neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe.
Source: Ghana News Agency